These Things Happen in the USA

Concerts in the USA
09/22 Merriman’s Playhouse, South Bend, IN
09/23 Spot Tavern, Lafayette, IN
09/24 Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Logan Center for the Arts (Univ of Chicago), IL
Amsterdam
10/19 De Ruimte

“”The shit swings like mad, with reedist Keefe Jackson out front blazing melodic puzzles and the rhythm section playing with time like taffy. Every once in a while I need that reminder of why I love jazz, and here it is.”

Peter Margasak – The Quietus

“The star of the show is Hoogland. His “Aanhanghuis”, which closes the set, is a wild ride of polyrhythm and how to work against it.”

The Wire

These Things Happen started out bridging the scenes for improvised music in Amsterdam and Chicago.

Both cities have a unique distinct and rich history that has had a deep impact on the ever-changing shape of improvised music and jazz. As natural as jazz fits the Chicago musician the Dutch approach to this music has often that been of respectful game and play. With These Things Happen this contrast is one of sincere joy. Compositions of Misha Mengelberg stand next to those of Dewey Redman, Monk, Herbie Nichols and the band members originals.

Monk’s music has been of major influence in the Dutch scene and many of his pieces have over the years produced entire musical languages that conceptually live a life of their own. Some of these approaches TTH has fed back into Monk’s originals leading for example to an insistent stutter time version of the famous Bemsha Swing in which the improvisation actually happens within the opening theme of the composition rather than in solos after the theme. This is just one example but with These Things Happen each composition in the set, comes with a new clear concept of playing jazz and improvised music. This makes a concert by the band a constant joy full of surprises for the listener.

Released now: a 12-inch 45 vinyl disc on the cutting-edge Astral Spirits label in the U.S. It has an incredible cover photo by photographer Arie Kievit that’s full of classic Jazz thematics: We see Jungle and Trains, City versus Nature and a whale tail rising up from the ground. It’s hard to believe that what we see is real, but we can assure you: These Things Happen.