Loot
Ab Baars – tenorsax, clarinet
Oscar Jan Hoogland – piano
Uldis Vitols – bass
Onno Govaert – drums
“In this new work we find a powerful mix between clearly building on the tradition of jazz and fresh, playful experiments, in which we clearly recognise the signature of Hoogland.”
Ben Taffijn, Draai om je Oren.
BIOGRAPHY
Let the piano speak and find out what it has to say. It is this approach to playing the piano that formed the starting point for the compositions Oscar Jan Hoogland wrote especially for LOOT. With Ab Baars, Uldis Vitols and Onno Govaert, Hoogland has brought together the perfect musicians to play this new music. These men stand strong in their own counterpoint, let their instruments’ voices speak, are true masters of heterophonic swing and, most importantly, they are incredible improvisers.
Minute Made Men!
Minute Made Men!
How many men can a canner can if a canner can can men?
Minute Made Men!
REVIEWS
“In his new work, Hoogland is in line with the tradition once started by Misha Mengelberg under the name instant composing and later picked up by others, such as Guus Janssen. Just like his illustrious predecessors, Hoogland also chose to compose a skeleton and have it fleshed out by reed player Ab Baars, bassist Uldis Vitols and drummer Onno Govaert. These new pieces by Hoogland have a strikingly structured and melodic core. An important role is reserved for Baars, who we hear in almost all pieces on tenor sax and once on clarinet, but Hoogland would not be Hoogland if he did not regularly derail those same melodies in a big way. So in this new work we find a powerful mix between clearly building on the tradition of jazz and fresh, playful experiments, in which we clearly recognize Hoogland’s signature. Take ‘Sleeping Policeman’ with that clearly melodic pattern, but at the same time Baars’ playing here has something elusive and we end up in playful chaos with the following passage for trio. A highlight of the concert is without a doubt the diptych ‘Impala’ / ‘Manatee’ (the latter belongs to the species of manatees). In ‘Impala’ you see this nimble little creature running and jumping on the mercury piano touches, while the quartet in ‘Manatee’ opts for thrift and focuses on the color of the sound. Fleeing, like the sea in which this unwieldy beast floats. It’s great how Baars conjures up unexpected sounds from the mouthpiece of his tenor sax, which appear to mix beautifully with Vitols’ bass and Govaert’s brushes playing.”
Ben Taffijn, Draai om je oren