Reinier Baas & Ben van Gelder

Reinier and Ben have shared the stage over 350 times since the start of their collaboration in 2009. Over the years, they have built a shared harmonic vocabulary. Their music has roots in American jazz, but it sounds unmistakably European at the same time. Their belief in the added value of improvisation is central to their performances, but their strong sense of form and melody have assured their music is heard beyond their niche.

Currently, Baas and van Gelder have released two albums as a duo, and one in collaboration with the esteemed Metropole Orkest. Their latest release, ‘This Is Water’, has received critical acclaim. It features four guests: drummers Han Bennink and Jeff Ballard, and pianists Cory Smythe and Marta Warelis. Read more here.

Relief Party (2024) was commissioned by the magnanimous and majestic Bimhuis in Amsterdam. The music was largely written using Seth Gory’s ‘Modal Explorer’: an app created for Baas based on his theory of Chromatic Major Modes. The entire record is in 4/4,  which is an almost unimaginably feat considering Reinier’s previous overachievements. Only key centers without accidentals were permitted during the composition process. 

A further complication was the fact that Europe was in lockdown for most of the recording process, making the first livestream of the music one with wild haircuts and tortured nostrils. Remember that shit? Glad that’s over. Knock on wood.

Speaking of wood: it features Agostinho Sequiera on marimba, Jonas Burgwinkel on drums, Kit Downes on piano, Clemens van der Feen on bass and Joris Roelofs on clarinets. Special guests on the record are Louis Cole, Ketija Ringa Karahona, Chaerin Im, R3 and the Bughouse Boy Choir. 

Reinier Baas, Jonas Burgwinkel and Kit Downes join forces with Deadeye. This trio uses the tried and tested formula of guitar, drums and Hammond organ to shed new light on the wildly diverse influences of its members.

“The result of this mix of many influences is that there is no such thing as a typical Deadeye track. This is an adventurous and innovative musical trio, capable of passages of great beauty (the languid ‘Song for the Sea’), moments of high-energy excitement (‘Hokus’), dramatic imagery (‘Wild Bill’) and cinematic soundscapes (Morricone's ‘Ninna Nanna per Adulteri’).” — allaboutjazz.com

Deadeye have released two records so far: their self-titled debut album, and ‘Deadeye LIVE’. A third album is in the making, and is set to be released in December of 2025. Read more here.

#oneminuteradio is a collection of 60 second tunes, written between 2019 and 2023.

The central idea behind this project was a therapeutic one: Baas’ attempt to foster a healthier relationship with his musical output by releasing a series of imperfect, short compositions—each written in four hours or less. The forty pieces serve as studies, often exploring a specific form, texture, or harmonic device.

The music was recorded and mixed at home, with most instruments and parts played by Baas, often enhanced by MIDI instruments from Sibelius 6. The album covers—collages made from images in old books and encyclopedia’s—were also homemade. The project features contributions from some of Reinier’s most cherished collaborators: Martijn Vink, Ben van Gelder, Joris Roelofs, Fuensanta, Jamie Peet, Petter Eldh, Lukas König, Benjamin Herman, Xavi Torres, and Han Bennink.

Between 2020 and 2023, Reinier collaborated with the renowned WDR Big Band. His music was skilfully arranged and conducted by Christian Elsässer, who also led Baas’ project with the Metropole Orkest and Ben van Gelder.

This 2018 mini-festival was born from a carte blanche granted to Baas by one of the Netherlands' most prestigious music venues: the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. It featured a series of performances by small ensembles, consisting of collaborations with some of Baas' favourite musicians, each acclaimed in their own right. The repertoire was composed entirely of Baas' original works, tailored specifically for the participating artists.

Below are previously unreleased live recordings from LantarenVenster in Rotterdam—the only other venue to host the festival. They feature Nora Fischer (soprano), Jeffrey Bruinsma (violin), Joris van Rijn (violin), Sofie van der Schalie (viola), Geneviève Verhage (cello), Ben van Gelder (alto saxophone) and Joris Roelofs (clarinets).

When a teenage Reinier Baas first saw Jesse van Ruller play the guitar, he was stupefied. Up until that point, he had no idea that some of the things he saw and heard were even remotely possible. Ultimately, it has lead him to develop a style of his own. Baas: “I couldn’t even imitate Jesse if I wanted to, so I’ve had to come up with something else.” Van Ruller had just come to prominence, as a recipient of the prestigious Thelonious Monk Award (1995). Years later, they are both considered among the most notable European jazz guitarists. They perform as a duo only occasionally, but thoroughly enjoy challenging and surprising each other when they get the chance.

‘Discombobulatrix’ is a mostly instrumental, partly improvised surrealist opera in three acts, masterfully illustrated by Amsterdam based comic artist Typex. The story revolves around ‘Princess Discombobulatrix’, a highly confusing figure, ‘The Duke of Waalwijk’ and ‘The General’, who attempt to woo the Princess desperately, and a shapeshifter called ‘The Enormous Wizard Zendor’. It’s not long before the events turn into a tragedy, in which all the characters die a bizarre and violent death.

Soprano Nora Fischer plays the role of ‘Princess Discombobulatrix’ (sporadically), while the rest of the line-up is comprised of the creme de la creme of the Dutch jazz scene, with among others Joris Roelofs, Ben van Gelder and Martijn Vink. The musicians are pushed to their limits by Baas’ happily deranged eclectic melting pot: they play with ‘classical’ precision, improvise parts of the music on the spot and go back and forth between highly danceable post-punk and Wagner-esque ballades.

‘Reinier Baas vs. Princess Discombobulatrix’ was released in September 2016 as a tin box with a CD, download card + comic book, postcard series and poster by Typex. The project toured the Netherlands extensively, and was the opening act for the Südtirol Jazzfestival in 2017. It was awarded an Edison in that same year.

‘Smash Hits’ is a collaboration between Reinier Baas, Ben van Gelder and the Grammy-winning Metropole Orkest (conducted by Christian Elsässer). The album is a live recording of performances in Amsterdam in 2016 and Utrecht in 2017.

‘Smash Hits’ stands as an absolute highlight in Baas’ musical career. He describes the feeling of having 50 world-class musicians blow the wind in your sails as “so much fun that you almost go insane”. The arrangements are by Daniel Jamieson, Gerd-Hermann Ortler, Rob Horsting and Christian Elsässer. 

The ‘Smash Hits’ program was one of the headliners of the 2019 North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Baas has performed in a solo setting since 2011. His repertoire consists mostly of intricate arrangements of jazz standards, but also includes classical repertoire, free improvisation, prepared guitar and an occasional sample. He finds playing solo “terrifying but necessary sometimes, like using a public bathroom at a subway station”. 

The More Socially Relevant Jazz Music Ensemble was a quintet led by Reinier Baas between 2010 - 2015. Their stints at Amsterdam’s Café Alto were infamous. With influences as diverse as Ravel, Lennie Tristano, Arctic Monkeys, Ornette Coleman, Flying Lotus and Human Feel, their music ranged from the intricate and sophisticated to the downright danceable. They released three records, of which ‘Mostly Improvised Instrumental Indie Music’ was awarded an Edison in 2013. TMSRJME toured in Japan, Oceania and Europe. 

Personnel:

Ben van Gelder - alto sax
Maarten Hogenhuis - alto sax
Sean Fasciani- bass
Mark Schilders - drums
Reinier Baas - guitar, compositions

Additional personnel on ‘Smooth Jazz Apocalypse’:

Harmen Fraanje - piano
Joris Roelofs - bass clarinet