Ad Colen Quartet CD'FREE' (2009)
personel: Ad Colen (tenor & sopranosaxophone, compostions), Gé Bijvoet (piano), Yonga Sun (drums), Wiro Mahieu (double bass).
All compositions by Ad Colen except KPN by Gé Bijvoet.
Recorded by Tijmen Zinkhaan at Wisseloord studios
Mixed by Tijmen Zinkhaan at galaxy studios
Mastering by Darius van Helfteren
Artwork by David de Jong of Flowdesign
Things are going well as far as Dutch jazz is concerned. The Ad Colen Quartet is a good example of this. This quartet has
produced four magnificent CDs within the space of a couple of years. CDs full of compositions full of ambiance, dynamic solo’s and volcanic grooves, where the individual input of all musicians plays a decisive role.
Starting from September of 2008, Ad Colen got to work with a new quartet. After spending a decade playing with fantastic musicians such as Michiel Borstlap, Rob van Bavel, Erik Robaard, Chris Strik and Jasper van Hulten he started to feel the need to explore a new type of collaboration.
Gé Bijvoet (winner of the soloist award at the NOS Meervaart Jazz Festival), an idiosyncratic piano player who always gives his own ‘touch’ to any music, was an obvious choice. He was joined by
Wiro Mahieu, (winner of the Wessel Ilcken prize) one of the best contra bass players in the Netherlands, excelling through his groove, technique and lyrical sound. Yonga Sun (winner of the Dutch Jazz Competition), who combines incredible creativity and groove, was the perfect fit. These musicians were perfectly attuned to each other from their very first rehearsal, and they were able to achieve the exact touch that
Ad Colen was trying to achieve with his music.
Not surprisingly, music reviewers have greeted the CD with great enthusiasm.
From the North Sea Jazz festival, to several tours and master classes in Indonesia, and performances at home and abroad: the music of the Ad Colen Quartet has definitely found its place in the international world of jazz.
PRESSREVIEWS
Cadence (USA) David Franklin 8/9/2010
“..Whatever the ambiance, the music is well-conceived and interesting and the improvisations top quality. Colen plays swinging tenor in a somewhat Rollinsesque manner (his soprano is generally reserved for the more pensive tracks) and his colleagues operate in a mode and at a level consistent with his own..”
Jazzreview (USA) Randall Parrish may2010
“..Free is sophisticated and full of powerfully involving pieces which exhibit a sense of unity and, in my mind, classify as works of art. The Netherlands has reason to be proud of groups such as The Ad Colen Quartet. They strive as “keepers of the flame” to make sure that the Jazz tradition is kept alive throughout the globe..”
Jazzpodium (Germany) March 2010 by Markus Koehler.This leads to an electrifying album of a soloist and an ensemble with genuine personality.” ”Free is an album that exudes class, both in relation to the collective performance and the individual improvisations. It has a contemporary freshness to it and completely lives up to expectations in terms of musical artistry. Colen certainly belongs to the top and there is a strong unison between him and his band.
Jazzism (Netherlands) -Ton Ouwehand “...This is highly structured, tastefully construed jazz music. A lot of musicians will be able to enjoy Colen’s compositions. Jazzbands looking for a fresh repertoire might want to explore Colen’s oeuvre”.
De Volkskrant (Netherlands) - Frank van Herk XXXX
“As soon as you hear the opening number, the beautiful sound of Colen’s tenor sax touches you: an old-fashioned belly-sound, but flexible, in the tradition of Rollins, but with a personal touch”.
Jazziness (Netherlands) 10 juli 2010 by Mischa Andreessen Review of concert at The NorthSea Jazzfestival 2010
“The concert of the Ad Colen Quartet was much more swinging. This group has produced a very strong cd and they interpreted the compositions very strong live.Beautiful..”.
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