Ben van Gelder Quintet ft. Jeff Ballard

Celebrated alto saxophonist with international top musicians in trio and quintet.

Alto saxophonist and composer Ben van Gelder is internationally regarded as an authority on his instrument. Colleagues and critics praise his unique sound, his lyricism, and personal approach to composing, which has already resulted in the Deloitte Jazz Award and the album Among Verticals, written on commission from the Jazz Gallery, based on a painting by the abstract painter František Kupka. At seventeen, he moved to New York, where he played and studied with, among others, Ambrose Akinmusire and Lee Konitz.

He formed a quintet there with Sam Harris, Craig Weinrib, Rick Rosato, and Peter Schlamb, with whom he recorded three albums and toured Europe, Japan, and the United States. With double bassist Rosato and vibraphonist Schlamb, he is now back on stage in various line-ups. In the first set, he plays in a trio with Rosato and master drummer Jeff Ballard, mainly standards. In the second set, Schlamb and guitarist Nelson Veras expand the trio into a quintet, and only original work is performed.

Ben van Gelder alto sax/flute/C-melody sax, Nelson Veras guitar, Peter Schlamb vibraphone, Rick Rosato double bass, Jeff Ballard drums