Morris Kliphuis

Kapok tour dates & poster

2012-01-17T16:30:00.000+01:00

Here are the dates for Kapok's Flatlands release tour! Come check us out. Tickets for the release on February 4 are limited, you can reserve those at www.roodnoot.nl/kapok.

1 feb P60 Amstelveen

4 feb Rood|Noot Utrecht

5 feb Twee Spieghels Leiden

6 feb Bakkerij Castricum

9 feb Blue Note Amsterdam

14 feb Bimhuis Café Amsterdam

16 feb Trianon Nijmegen

21 feb Café Tango Delft

26 feb Porgy en Bess Terneuzen

4 mar Projekt 072 Alkmaar

Kapok's new album just came in!

2012-01-06T13:22:00.005+01:00

Check out the cover of Kapok's first album, Flatlands! We just got the boxes in today, and we're so proud of the beautiful artwork by Peter Kolpa and photography by Krijn van Noordwijk (see the photos at facebook.com/kapokmusic). We'll be releasing it on February 4 at Rood|Noot, a beautiful old farmhouse/cultural haven at the outskirts of Utrecht. We've invited all the awesome musicians who joined us on the album, and to top it off we'll be serving snert (Dutch pea soup - it is the middle of winter, after all). More info & tour dates - 10 concerts all over Holland in February - to come soon!

New composition for NESKO

2011-12-05T17:04:00.006+01:00

I've been invited to write a new composition for the Netherlands Student Chamber Orchestra (NESKO), to be performed in April 2012. The piece will be part of a program that includes Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, Prokofiev's A Summer Day and his First Symphony (the "Classical Symphony").
I'm planning to write my own piece inspired by Prokofiev's great music, maybe stealing some of his tricks. I've started gathering ideas a few days ago, interested to see where this will lead me. With chamber orchestra you don't have the spectacular firepower of a large romantic orchestra, so hopefully I'll be able to be a bit more subtle and dig a little deeper in terms of harmony and structure. More to come soon.

Kliphuis, Erker, Sun!

2011-11-11T19:15:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow, November 12, Mete Erker (tenor saxophone), Yonga Sun (drums) and I will be joining forces for a very special set at the Jazzfest Amsterdam. We got together at very short notice for this project - hence the late announcement - and we'll be taking a very free approach. Some melodies, a few ideas, and lots of improvisation. I feel very lucky to be playing with these inspiring musicians, come check it out!

Jazzfest Amsterdam, Sat Nov 12

Studio/K, Timorplein 62, Amsterdam

Doors open 16:00 - we play at 19:15

Free of charge

MK Trio @ Kytopia @ Tivoli

2011-09-28T13:51:00.002+02:00

Coming Saturday, October 1, I'll be playing with the Morris Kliphuis Trio at Tivoli Utrecht, as part of a special Kytopia night - all the different artists working at Kytopia will be presenting their music. We'll be playing brand-new material from our upcoming album.
We're playing our set at 11 pm - it's gonna be special for sure, come check it out!

Yuri Honing Quartet & Morris Kliphuis

2011-09-25T23:58:00.010+02:00

Coming Friday, September 30 I'll be joining the awesome Yuri Honing Acoustic Quartet at De Doelen, Rotterdam. After a set of the band's own music, I will join them as a guest for the second part of the show. We'll play some music highlighting the influence of the great trumpeter Louis Armstrong. Looking forward!
For details, check the website.

Efterklang Project Returns! In Ireland

2011-07-29T11:21:00.001+02:00

In February we did some shows at the Crosslinx festival with Efterklang & Daniel Bjarnason and their Messing Orchestra. The project was so much fun that Efterklang invited us for another gig at the Reich Effect festival in Cork, Ireland. So now we're here, rehearsal will start in the evening.
Yesterday we saw the Kronos Quartet playing Steve Reich's music, including the famous piece Different Trains, with Reich himself in the audience. Powerful stuff.
The gig is at the Savoy Ballroom, Cork on Sunday the 31st, if you happen to be around!

MCN moet blijven!

2011-06-20T23:54:00.005+02:00

Het is, juist bij bezuinigingen, van het grootste belang dat er goed wordt nagedacht over de vraag welke organisaties de Nederlandse muzieksector draaiende houden, welke van structureel belang zijn voor een kwalitatief en kwantitatief gezond muziekleven. MCN/Donemus is onmiskenbaar een van deze pijlers. Het opheffen van deze organisatie zou een enorme schade toebrengen, juist aan de basis van ons muziekbestel: de ondersteuning van ondernemende kunstenaars, de stimulering van nieuwe projecten en samenwerkingen en het beheer van de schat aan Nederlandse muziek uit heden en verleden die Donemus herbergt. En dat terwijl MCN bij uitstek een organisatie is die de zelfredzaamheid van de kunstenaar, die dit kabinet zo hoog in het vaandel heeft, stimuleert.

Dat de voor goed bestuur noodzakelijke visie, analyse en besluitvorming totaal, maar dan ook totaal ontbreken bij ons kabinet doet het ergste vrezen voor de toekomst. Het is schrijnend dat het vakmanschap en de aandacht die onontbeerlijk zijn om als musicus behoorlijk je beroep uit te oefenen jammerlijk afwezig zijn bij de mensen die pretenderen ons land te kunnen leiden.

Teken de petitie voor behoud van MCN hier.

MK8 at Museum Speelklok, May 11&12

2011-05-07T16:54:00.002+02:00

Next week, May 11 & 12, Museum Speelklok in Utrecht will be hosting the grand opening of their new concert podium.
For the occasion a number of artists will be playing unexpected collaborations with exhibits from the museum for automatic music. The show is hosted by Sven Ratzke and will feature Dutch heroes VOF de Kunst, Wouter Hamel, Christiaan Kuyvenhoven, Joseph Haydn and MK8 & Lucky Fonz III!
Come check this out, tickets at www.museumspeelklok.nl.

New guitarist, new album for MK Trio

2011-04-21T18:46:00.007+02:00

The past few weeks have been hectic for the Morris Kliphuis Trio.

First of all, we have parted ways with guitarist Daniel de Moraes. We would like to thank Daniel for the wonderful years of collaboration and the enormous musicality, humour and taste he has brought to the group, and for all the things we have learned from working together.

Secondly we are very excited to have found a great new guitarist, Timon Koomen, and we look forward to an inspiring musical journey together.

And last but not least, we've just finished recording our debut album at the Kytopia studios in Utrecht. It features a mix of original compositions and free improvisation pieces. The album will feature a number of guests, including Ernst Glerum (bass), Joshua Samson (percussion), Marc Constandse (bandoneon) and the Ragazze string quartet.

Mixing will start in May, I will post some tracks here soon!

MK Trio on Radio 4 with Giel Beelen, 17-03

2011-03-04T10:53:00.009+01:00

Morris Kliphuis Trio will be playing on the first episode of the new show Virus on Radio 4, hosted by Giel Beelen, Tijl Beckand and Sanne Wallis de Vries! We will talk about the influence of classical music on our own music, and play three of our tunes. The great mezzo soprano Tania Kross will also be performing.
March 17, Radio 4, 0:00-01:00
Or live at the Rotterdamse Schouwburg (21:30-22:30)

Efterklang photos

2011-02-21T17:27:00.006+01:00

Efterklang & Daniel Bjarnason and their Messing Orchestra @ Crosslinx 2011. Photos by Dennis

Efterklang

2011-02-21T16:24:00.005+01:00

Spent all of last week working with Danish band Efterklang & Icelandic composer Daniel Bjarnason and their Messing Orchestra (4 saxophones, 4 brass and percussion). It was a great trip. Those of you who saw the concerts know what I mean. Kinda sad that it's over.
Check out this great video impression of our first rehearsal day.

MK8 recording session @ Kytopia studios

2011-01-23T09:54:00.009+01:00

We've recorded with MK8 at the Kytopia studios in Utrecht last Thursday. All together in one huge room, making one-take recordings straight to 2-inch 24-track tape. No editing, no repairs, no computers. We're living on the edge here.
Mixing will start soon, VERY curious to hear the final results. Expect some audio soon!

A'dam Klezmer Band meets Kyteman video

2010-11-26T11:25:00.001+01:00

Here's a short video from a gig we did with the Kyteman horn section and the Amsterdam Klezmer Band on November 12 in Paradiso. Great project to be a part of - lots of energetic super fast klezmer melodies to try and play, and a lot of fun to exchange ideas with these guys.

The video is bad quality but you can get a pretty good idea of the atmosphere. That's me on the right jumping up and down :)

MK Trio in Groede next Saturday

2010-11-15T16:01:00.005+01:00

Next Saturday I'll be playing with my trio in Groede, Zeeland in the Grote Kerk. We've been working on some new tunes and sounds, and we'll have lots of space to do exactly what we want to do, and somehow we always manage to play something different than planned, so we're looking forward to this.

Featuring: MK - horn, Tato Moraes - acoustic & electric guitar, Remco Menting - snare drum & percussion

Check out our music on our new Bandcamp page, or buy our EP for 7,50 by email.

Music for Invertebrates on Youtube

2010-11-02T17:13:00.004+01:00

Here's a video of the second movement of my piece Music for Invertebrates, played in Zagreb by the Utrechtsch Studenten Concert conducted by Bas Pollard.

MK8 @ No Label Museum Club Night on Saturday

2010-10-25T14:59:00.010+02:00

Coming Saturday Oct 30, MK8 will be playing some serious grooves at the No Label Museum Club Night. The location is Museum Speelklok, Utrecht, a museum for automatic musical instruments. We're playing three concerts, featuring our brass-strings-rhythm line up. We're especially excited about the song we're going to do with Tjeerd Bomhof (Voicst, Dazzled Kid) and De Schuyt, one of the automatic dancing organs in the museum. It has a truly awesome sound - you will know what I mean when you hear it. And be ready for a few more surprises along the way...

Featuring Angelo Verploegen - trumpet / MK - horn / Kobi Arditi - trombone / Sietse van Gorkom - violin / Adriaan Breunis - viola / Jur de Vries - cello / Martin Hiltawski - bass / Philippe Lemm - drums / Tjeerd Bomhof - vocals.

Philistines Jr. & Dazzled Kid & Morris Kliphuis & a 1913 dancing organ...

2010-10-01T14:02:00.017+02:00

The last few weeks I've been part of an extraordinary project initiated by US producer Peter Katis (The National, Interpol and many others). His band The Philistines Jr. has a new album out soon called "If a band plays in the woods...?". As a followup he's making a second album called "If a whole lot of bands play in the woods...?" featuring covers and remixes by a stellar lineup of bands he's produced over the years.

Tjeerd Bomhof a.k.a Dazzled Kid (you might know him as the lead singer of Voicst) has been asked to contribute to the album. Tjeerd and I met at Oerol during extended jam sessions at Kyteman's Kytopia project.

We did a cover of a beautiful tune called "If I Did Nothing But Train For Two Years" (listen to the original here). Tjeerd did a great fresh interpretation of the track, I made an arrangement for a 1913 dancing organ called De Schuyt, from the collection of Museum Speelklok in Utrecht. We've recorded it last Monday, and added lots of other stuff, resulting in a sound that's hard to define. It's not finished yet, and we're very curious to hear what happens when Mr. Katis does the mixing.

By the way, we're going to play this tune LIVE on October 30 during my MK8 show at the No Label festival in the museum. Lots of great musicians will be joining us. More info coming soon!

On a side note, Kytopia has officially opened yesterday! Come and make stuff with us, and be sure to visit my little cabin upstairs :)

Sticks and Stones video

2010-07-16T13:02:00.001+02:00

Check out this video of the Amsterdam Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Yaniv Nachum, playing my composition Sticks and Stones.

This piece started as an assignment while I was studying at in New York with trumpet player Jon Faddis. We were supposed to write a piece based on the chord progression of the Miles Davis tune Milestones. I wrote a short 8-bar line that turned into a piece for octet, which I later expanded to a full big band composition.

The piece will be included on the recently recorded album of the AJO, among other music by Yaniv, Kobi Arditi, Tini Thomsen and many others. Yaniv was also a great help with this and many other pieces as one of my composition teachers at the Amsterdam Conservatory.

Enjoy!

Vuvuzela concerto in B flat

2010-06-26T17:37:00.005+02:00

Thanks to Nuno Marques for that one.

Premiere of Double Concerto tonight

2010-06-25T14:24:00.006+02:00

Tonight my new Double Concerto for Violin and Horn will have its first performance at the Zenith Festival in the Paard van Troje, the Hague. The piece was commissioned by the festival for my brother, violinist Tim Kliphuis, and myself.
The line up consists of string quintet (2 violins, viola, cello, bass), piano and percussion, with a special appearance of a vocal quartet along the way. All the players are required to play written out parts in the classical tradition as well as improvise. Luckily, everyone, including the strings, has experience with non-classical music. It promises to be an interesting concert.
Come check it out: 20:30, Paard van Troje, Prinsegracht 12, The Hague.

Dutch Premiere of Music for Invertibrates

2010-06-16T10:09:00.005+02:00

Tonight and tomorrow night the Utrechtsch Studenten Concert will play concerts in the Singelkerk, Amsterdam and Vredenburg Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht. On the programme are pieces by Prokofiev, Hovhaness, Liadov and my own piece, Music for Invertibrates. Come check it out!

16-06-2010, 20:15: Singelkerk, Amsterdam
17-06-2010, 20:15: Vredenburg Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht

New EP!

2010-05-26T16:26:00.008+02:00

The Morris Kliphuis Trio have released their first recording! It's an EP with 5 tunes, a mix of original compositions and standards in our own - different - arrangements.
Apart from our regular line up (Morris Kliphuis - horn, Tato Moraes - guitar, Remco Menting - snare drum & percussion) we are joined by the great vocalist Ellen Tackenkamp.
We hope you like it! You can get it for only € 7,50 by sending me an email at morris@morriskliphuis.nl.

We presented our EP at the Cum Laude Concerten in Leiden on May 24 - check out a review at www.muziekgezien.blogspot.com (in Dutch)

Blues for Marcel Worms (3)

2010-05-23T16:36:00.003+02:00

My piano piece is finished - I've decided to call it Plaint. Marcel Worms has done a beautiful premiere at a concert in Theater Kikker, Utrecht. The program consisted entirely of "blues" pieces for solo piano, and a recording was made by Radio 4 for broadcast during the summer. It was interesting to hear interpretations of the blues by other composers, and to meet a few of them after the concert.
Pianist Raymond Macauley will be playing the piece on his final exam on June 18.

New Studio!

2010-02-17T14:37:00.006+01:00

Check it out - my new workplace at Kytopia HQ! This is where I will be writing and practicing for the coming year(s). I'm feeling especially chuffed with the huge sketch board.

I'm here in the same building as Kyteman's huge new all-acoustic studio (still to be constructed), right above Duijf's studio, and in the other building across from me is most of creative Utrecht, including Habek! and other Hiphop Orchestra members.
Great things are already starting to happen here.

Blues for Marcel Worms (2)

2010-02-17T12:55:00.013+01:00

Yesterday I started working on a piece for pianist Marcel Worms, also to be performed by my friend Raymond Macauley.
The idea is to write a modern piece for piano solo, about 3-4 minutes, inspired on the blues. What I'm trying to do is write a piece with some characteristics of the blues, that somehow feels bluesy, without using the standard blues sounds and melodies. I'm trying to take only a few aspects of the blues, and rework them into a different shape.

Since most of my pieces until now have been more or less tonal (i.e., based on the western tonal system you know from most classical and pop music) and quite consonant (combinations of notes that sound "pleasant"), I'm trying to work with more dissonance for a change (i.e. using combinations of notes that sound more harsh). The idea is that it doesn't sound like random notes thrown together, but that there is a logic (however strange) behind the sounds. And that it somehow evokes the feeling of a blues.

It's all still in the experimental phase, but I don't have too much time to get it finished. Hope to have it done next week.

New Composition for Orchestra (6)

2010-02-03T13:20:00.010+01:00

One of the least fun parts of writing for large ensembles is the editing. You write the music in a score, or partituur in Dutch, where you have an overview of the entire orchestra. All the parts for the individual musicians are lined up so that you can see who plays what when and how they interact.

Before you start rehearsing, you of course have to make parts for the musicians with only their own notes, so that they can read it easily and make notes and so on. This is what I've been doing for the past days (and very little else). You have to make sure all the notes are readable, that you don't have text boxes all over your notes, that the dynamics (indications of loud or soft etc) are in the right parts in the right places, and of course that no-one will have to turn a page in the middle of playing a line. It's a nightmare. But it's finished!

Monday is the first rehearsal, and then conductor Bas Pollard takes over, and the piece goes from sheets of paper to actual sound. Curious and a bit nervous to see how it will go.

Popprijs 2009!

2010-01-23T09:09:00.005+01:00

Kyteman's Hiphop Orchestra has won the Nederlandse Popprijs 2009! The prize is awarded at the Noorderslag Festival in Groningen to the act that has contributed the most to Dutch pop over the past year.
It was fun.

New Composition for Orchestra (5)

2010-01-13T12:25:00.005+01:00

Last week I finished work on the third and final movement of my piece Music for Invertebrates. It depicts a fight between stag beetles. The male stag beetle has huge jaws that it uses to wrestle other males over territory (check the video for an idea).

While I was in Thailand last summer I heard a traditional Thai Piphat ensemble, consisting of Pi (Thai quadruple-reed oboe), xylophones, gongs, cymbals and bass drum. They were playing a piece that featured a repeated 5-note figure in the Pi, and they did some really exhilarating - but hard to follow - tempo changes. The figure stuck in my head, and later I asked another ensemble if they knew the tune, and sang it to them the best I could.
The leader told me it's a tune that's played before Muay Thai, or Thai boxing fights. They played it for me and I got a nice recording of it.

For my third movement I used some of the instrumentation: xylophone, drums, cymbals, and 3 oboes in unison playing forte, to try and imitate the ear-splitting sound of the Pi. After a heavy beginning, with large sections of the orchestra playing loud melodies in unison, it opens up to a xylophone solo inspired on the Thai piece, followed by the five-note repeated figure, but in a slightly different context.

I hope it works out - it might sound forced and far fetched, or quite interesting and energetic. The first rehearsal is in February, so we'll know soon enough. The performances are scheduled for May.

Harpsichords and the new year

2009-12-31T14:28:00.005+01:00

Wow, it's December 31 again, I was just getting used to 2009.
Since new year's lists and overviews always get on my nerves a little, let me write about something else.
Colin a.k.a. Kyteman wrote a great piece, commissioned by the city of Utrecht, that we've recorded two weeks ago. We're going to perform it on January 4. It features part of the hiphop orchestra, but augmented with harpsichord, a weird combination that works out really well.
The harpsichord is an instrument that was used extensively in the baroque period, but was eventually replaced with the invention of the piano. Nowadays it's being used again for playing baroque music, but also for modern music. While the piano hits the string with a hammer, with the harpsichord it is plucked, which gives it a distinctive sound (listen here).
Anyway, it worked really well with Kyte's piece, giving it a kind of retro baroque feel, but in a modern way. Cool instrument.
Still working on the final touches to my piece "Music for Invertebrates". It's taken way longer than I had expected and it's become a much more structured and complex piece than I could have imagined when I started writing. The last movement is about stag beetles fighting for territory - but more about that in the next post.
I hope you have an inspiring 2010!

New composition for orchestra (4)

2009-11-24T14:28:00.006+01:00

Yesterday I finished the first movement of my new piece, working title "Music for Invertebrates". This part is about the praying mantis.

In order to portray this great insect, I tried to get into its skin (or rather, exoskeleton). Think about the amount of concentration needed to sit on a branch all day, pretending to be a stick, ready to make the crucial strike at exactly the right moment. Like equal parts zen master and homicidal maniac. (If you think I'm joking, check out this video.)

While hunting, the mantis sways slightly from side to side, either to blend in with its surroundings or to help judge the distance of objects and prey. One of the main motives of the piece is based on this movement, a repeated figure in 6/8 time. Also lots of snappy unison melodies on C trumpets and flutes.

I decided to axe one of the movements - too much material, limited playing time. So only one more to go. Deadline time is approaching, onward with movement III - the stag beetle!

Kyteman - The Hermit Sessions Live DVD

2009-11-17T09:16:00.006+01:00

And while we're on the subject of Kyteman: the live DVD of the "Hermit Sessions" tour has just been released. It was recorded at De Oosterpoort, Groningen, on September 23. It was a great concert, and the guys did an amazing job on it. You can get it here!

Kyteman photos

2009-11-16T11:00:00.006+01:00

Photographer Arne Coomans took some great photos of Kyteman's Hiphop Orchestra at the Solar Festival in Roermond last August. Check out the full series on flickr.

Morris Kliphuis Trio @ Blinckers next Saturday

2009-11-12T22:43:00.006+01:00

After our gig on the ferry to the island of Schiermonnikoog, coming Saturday (November 14) the Morris Kliphuis Trio will be again playing in a maritime environment. Cultural foundation ISKRA invited us to do a concert in Restaurant Blinckers in Bakkum, right at the beach.
Acoustic guitarist Tato de Moraes will be sharing the warm, melodious guitar sound that is his trademark, and Remco Menting will be prodding and grooving on his snare drum and cajon (plus various bells and whistles). We'll be playing original tunes, reworkings of familiar ones and maybe even some pop classics. Maybe I'll also play some flugelhorn if all goes well.
Looking forward already.

Saturday November 14, 20:30
Restaurant Blinckers, strandplateau Bakkum
Tickets 11,- / 9,- (CJP)

New composition for orchestra (3)

2009-11-04T09:19:00.006+01:00

Yesterday I put up lots of paper on the wall of my tiny room in Amsterdam. I decided to try a new way of structuring my compositions: I'm writing the whole piece down as a structural chart before I start writing on music paper. This was suggested to me by composer Roderik de Man. A long line from left to right represents the entire piece from beginning to end. All the things that happen along that time frame are represented by pencil lines, with short descriptions of what they mean. Far above the central timeline, on the top of the page, are the high instruments and sounds - flutes, 1st violins, etc - towards the bottom are the lowest instruments (double basses, tuba, contrabassoon).
The line on the bottom represents how loud the orchestra is playing, the dynamics. This also gives some idea of the development of musical tension throughout the piece.
Not only is this refreshing and fun to do, but it's a great way to structure your ideas. It's much less likely to get stuck in the details because you're placing your focus on the big picture, the overall structure of the music. I'm curious to see (and hear) what difference this will make.

MK8 @ Diamantslijperij, Sun Nov 1!

2009-10-26T14:06:00.007+01:00

Sun Nov 1, 21:00
Cultuurhuis Diamantslijperij
Tolstraat 129 Amsterdam
Cover fee 10 euros

Featuring:
Colin Benders (a.k.a. Kyteman) - trumpet
Kobi Arditi - trombone
Morris Kliphuis - horn
Sietse van Gorkom - violin
Oene van Geel (ZAPP!) - viola
Daniel Brandl - cello
Martin Hiltawski - bass
Philippe Lemm - drums

Special guests:
DJ DNA & Kapabel (MC)

We're going to play some new jazz/funk compositions by myself and other members of the band. The whole thing will be topped off with a jam session where we will be joined by scratch master DJ DNA (Urban Dance Squad) and Dutch rapper Kapabel (InStereo).

Come join us :)

Also check out the flyer.

New composition for orchestra (2)

2009-10-15T11:31:00.008+02:00

I've been holed up in my room for the past two weeks working on my new piece. The third movement (out of four) is now almost finished. It's about the sea urchin, or, more precisely, about what it would be like to be one. It revolves around a very simple melody, almost in the style of Russian folk singing. I'm trying to find a way to build it in warm, thick, fuzzy romantic fashion (listen to Glazunov 4 to get an idea) while still keeping a strange under-the-sea abstractness to it. It'll probably end up being hopelessly romantic and not abstract at all. But that's alright because the rest of the piece is going to be really weird anyway.

IACW on Uitzending Gemist

2009-10-06T11:25:00.010+02:00

The documentary on the project Colin and I did in Thailand was aired on October 4 on Nederland 2. If you missed it, it's at Uitzending Gemist here.
The blog posts from Thailand are here.
You can also see the programmes on IACW projects in Canada and Mexico.

Ferry music

2009-10-06T10:57:00.004+02:00

A few months ago I was invited to an annual chamber music festival on the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog. I'd never heard about it, but the festival is having its eighth edition this year.
Special feature was an opening concert on the Lauwersoog-Schiermonnikoog ferry featuring performances by the Codarts Conservatory Brass ensemble, some classical chamber groups and my acoustic trio.
It was weird playing in the passenger lounge of a ferry, with the audience on benches, and the acoustics were horrible, but the atmosphere made up for it. The festival is still going on, and is sold out, like every year.

Blues for Marcel Worms

2009-09-28T12:32:00.007+02:00

Just had a meeting with classical pianist Marcel Worms. Really interesting guy - he recorded loads of solo piano and chamber music and travels the globe playing concerts. Since 1990 he has been commissioning composers to write a blues for solo piano; the composers are free to interpret the term 'blues' in any way they want. Since the start of the project around 180 pieces have been written.
Marcel asked me to write one too. I've never really written for piano solo before so I'm looking forward to working on it after I finish my orchestra piece.

Free improvisation

2009-09-21T17:49:00.005+02:00

Last night I had the great pleasure of sitting in with Bik Bent Braam, a big band led by pianist Michiel Braam that focuses on free improvisation - making music up on the spot. This is a huge challenge with an ensemble of that size. We do that kind of thing with Kyteman's Hiphop Orchestra, but there we play mostly in one key, and Colin is in front of the band directing us.

With BBB everyone has the right to completely change the direction of the music at any time. Yesterday's concert was in the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, and for every set of 45 minutes, one BBB composition was played. The compositions were by Michiel, and were used as material or input during playing. The pieces were divided up into numbered sections so that anyone could signal a section to be played at some point during the improvisation. As such, we "played" the compositions, but never in the order they were written. It's a great way to break open the music and make it more free.

The difficult thing with free improvisation is to decide when to play, and what, and whether what you would like to play is valuable compared to whatever is already being played at that point. (Does that make sense?) Also, you want the music to go somewhere, which is hard enough when you play music that's not improvised.

Then again, I'm starting to think that judging your ideas while playing in this way may be the wrong approach entirely. Maybe you should just try to quit thinking and just play what you feel like playing.

Anyway, the band was great, and it was a really cool experience.

The plot thickens

2009-09-16T10:32:00.001+02:00

It appears that I'm not the only farang (white boy) to appreciate the sound of the Khaen (see original post). A few days ago I got mail from a Dutchman asking me where he could get one, and now I've discovered this dude. Khaen lovers unite!

New composition for orchestra

2009-09-13T16:49:00.007+02:00

I've started work on a 15-20 minute orchestral piece for the Utrechtsch Studenten Concert. The work, for large symphonic orchestra, will have 4 movements and will premiere somewhere in the spring of 2010. It will be the finale of a program including Prokofiev's 3rd Piano Concerto and Hovhaness' 2nd Symphony "Mysterious Mountain". Daunting, but I'm confident (for the moment). For this piece I'm going to try writing with very little thematic material, using clear, simple orchestrations, like painting with a big brush and only two or three colours. Certain invertebrates are to play a central role in the music.
I'll post updates and thoughts here as the work progresses.

News update

2009-09-13T15:54:00.005+02:00

- A very nice review of my trio concert at the ZomerJazzFietsTour can be found here at the Jazzenzo web magazine.

- Wednesday Sept 16 I'll be playing with rock band MOKE at the presentation of their new cd, The Long & Dangerous Sea, at the new Rabozaal of De Melkweg, Amsterdam.

- Sunday Sept 20 I'll be sitting in with Bik Bent Braam at the Bimhuis, Amsterdam, playing compositions by pianist Michiel Braam.

- On September 23 Kyteman's Hiphop Orchestra will be recording a live DVD documenting the show at De Oosterpoort, Groningen. The last Hermit Sessions show will be on December 11 at Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam. After that we'll start working on new material. Better make sure you've seen it by then.

I do realise I need to put up a concert agenda on this site, and I'll make one soon.

IACW on TV

2009-09-06T11:49:00.005+02:00

The documentary on the In A Cabin With project in Thailand (see earlier posts) is finished. It'll be aired on the Nederland 2 channel as part of a series of 3 programmes about the In A Cabin project. Here's the trailer:

The dates & times:

CANADA: 20 September, 17:05, Nederland 2

MEXICO: 27 September, 17:05, Nederland 2

THAILAND: 04 October, 17.05, Nederland 2

I've seen parts of it, Jeroen, Arlette and Joost at Orientation did a great job capturing the mood and recording what it was like. Don't miss it :)

ZomerJazzFietsTour 29/8 (2)

2009-08-30T19:41:00.006+02:00

Had a great time in Groningen, the location was great and the music was going all kinds of places. Special thanks to Maarten van der Grinten for replacing Tato.

ZomerJazzFietsTour 29/8

2009-08-27T12:14:00.009+02:00

Coming Saturday, August 29, I'll be playing with my trio Kliphuis, de Moraes & Menting at the ZomerJazzFietsTour. It's a jazz festival with concerts in the churches of villages around the city of Groningen, where the audience rides bikes from one concert to the next. Sounds fun right?

Tato de Moraes is in Portugal so we managed to get the great Maarten van der Grinten to substitute him on acoustic guitar.

Lately I've been experimenting with a different way of writing jazz tunes - writing a short melody (anything from 5 notes to a few bars), then leaving it open to any kind of free improvisation after that. You can basically improvise whatever you want but the melodic fragment creates an atmosphere to improvise in. It breaks up the standard jazz form and it's fun to do with a small group like this.

The rehearsal was great so we're looking forward to an interesting concert!

Lowlands

2009-08-24T16:47:00.010+02:00

The Lowlands show (22/8) with Kyteman's Hiphop Orchestra was great, the place was packed and the reviews are very good.
I've been trying to get into hiphop and pop music over the last few months, because this is not something I grew up with really, so I decided to stay at the festival and see Snoop Dogg rock the Alpha tent on Sunday. Energetic, funny, and it was fascinating to see the parallels between hiphop and jazz - the soloist (or rapper) creating a melodic and rhythmic flow, and the drummer using fills to glue it together. The basic structure is very similar.
Everyone told me I was going to love Patrick Watson, so I checked it out and found it boring and not really going anywhere. Funny how musical taste works.

We also did a neat little jam for VPRO's 3voor12:

You can watch the entire Kyteman show here.

Weekend Winfried coming Sunday

2009-08-07T14:50:00.009+02:00

Next Sunday, August 9, I've been invited to the Radio 6 studio for the Weekend Winfried program. Since it's the holidays it was more or less impossible to get my trio (Kliphuis, de Moraes & Menting - check our new MySpace page) together. Therefore we've decided to have some random fun with Jasper van Damme on saxophone, Lucas Dols on bass, and Remco Menting on Signature Edition Interstellar Micro Drum Kit*.
If you have the time (it's vacation time anyway) tune in to Weekend Winfried on Saturday too. I'll be doing a short interview during the show.

Radio 6 (listen live online or check cable frequencies), Saturday Aug 8 16:00-18:00, Sunday Aug 9 16:00-18:00

* he forgot his cymbals at the Conservatory building this summer.

In A Cabin... (5)

2009-08-06T12:57:00.006+02:00

The project is finished. Over the last two weeks Colin and I have composed, rehearsed and recorded pieces for string quintet, wind quintet, percussion and winds, chamber orchestra (with added drums and bass) and symphony orchestra. We managed to get everything done on time. We think there might be some good music in there somewhere, but there's not much room in my head for reflection at the moment. It's such an intensive process it's hard to tell which piece is good and which is not. Hopefully over the next few weeks we'll find out.
The session with full orchestra was the definite high point, with some explosive moments that forced Colin to run backstage to do a little dance before he could compose himself. I think that might be a good sign. If nothing else, it's going to be an interesting album. Thailand is a beautiful country with beautiful people and a beautiful culture, and I hope that experience will have charged the music we've made.
For photos check out the In A Cabin blog. The album will take a while yet.
Meanwhile, keep your eyes and ears open - the documentary will be broadcast on NPS coming autumn.

In A Cabin... (4)

2009-08-02T14:41:00.003+02:00

Alriiight! A few moments ago I finished the last piece for the In A Cabin project. It's a great feeling. The piece is a short song for wind quintet about geckos. We'll record it tomorrow morning.
Yesterday we had our first session with the string quintet of the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra - we recorded 2 pieces by Colin, one of which I arranged. The musicians were really nice, the rehearsal went fine and we managed to get great takes of both. The cello player studied in Rotterdam, a great player with a beautiful, warm sound. Colin will record his solo trumpet parts later on.
This afternoon I went to Jatujak weekend market where I managed to buy a Khaen, a Northeastern Thai instrument. It's a kind of mouth organ that has seven notes, and you can play by breathing out as well as in. I've been practicing a bit but everyone else seems to hate the sound of the thing. Guess they don't appreciate good art when they hear it.
Tomorrow we're doing two sessions, wind quintet and percussion with woodwind and brass. Tuesday we continue with a small chamber orchestra and in the evening the full 45-piece symphonic orchestra.

In A Cabin With Colin & Morris (3)

2009-07-31T08:16:00.004+02:00

A quick update from Chiang Mai International Airport. Waiting for the plane to Bangkok. We've finished 8 out of 10 pieces, 2 still to be finished. We've also recorded some incredible sounds and music to use later.
Tomorrow we start recording 2 pieces with string quintet - very eager to meet the musicians who are going to play it all...

In A Cabin With Colin & Morris (2)

2009-07-26T07:58:00.008+02:00

We're moving along here in Chiang Mai. On Friday I finished work on the two final movements. 16 pages of full orchestra score in three days, I'm feeling quite pleased with myself. Yesterday I arranged a beautiful song by Colin for trumpet and string quintet. I've tried to give it an old fashioned string sound, think Chet Baker & Strings or something.
Colin has been working on another orchestra track, what I've heard sounds very promising. Also we've been up to Doi Suthep temple to record some bells and get some Tibetan singing bowls. He's been bashing around with them in an empty room to get some sounds to produce tracks with.
My next project is a song of my own, arranged for a 14-piece mini orchestra. We're flying to Bangkok on Friday so the schedule is tight, but we're starting to think we might just make it.

In A Cabin With Colin & Morris

2009-07-23T08:54:00.004+02:00

For the next two weeks Colin Benders a.k.a. Kyteman and me will be working in a small makeshift studio in a guesthouse in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We're composing and arranging for an album to be recorded with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. All this is being organised by Maarten & Jesse from In A Cabin With. A camera crew from Dutch television (NPS) is following us around for a documentary on the project. So far the vibe is great, we've started drafting the album yesterday and are now working on the orchestral sections. Hopefully we'll also be able to come out and see some of the city now and then...
Wait till you hear the music!

MK8

2009-07-13T23:36:00.007+02:00

MK8 @ De Badcuyp, June 26:

North Sea Jazz

2009-07-13T12:59:00.009+02:00

The North Sea Jazz Festival was great. Saturday I heard the truly awesome Starvinsky Orkestar led by pianist/composer Martin Fondse. Check this band out if you can, the compositions are beautiful, funny and different, and the musicians are very, very good.

The Orkestar has clarinet, oboe, trumpet, c-melody sax, baritone sax, string quartet, piano, bass and drums. They did a great version of the Simpsons theme by Fondse, in 7/8 time, where Lisa Simpson's baritone sax went off-road, so to speak. Trumpet player Eric Vloeimans played some beautiful solos that reminded me of the importance of practicing.

Sunday night I heard the great McCoy Tyner, still playing, and trumpet player Ambrose Akinmusire. I'd heard this guy a few times in New York and he plays unlike anyone you've ever heard.
I myself had some nice gigs with Wouter Hamel & Band, the Amsterdam Conservatory Big Band and Kyteman's Hiphop Orchestra.

Now it's time to pack my bags, for tomorrow I'm heading off to Thailand! Colin (a.k.a. Kyteman) and I are doing a project for In A Cabin With. Together we're supposed to write and orchestrate an album to be recorded there with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. In nine days. But first: some time off!

New project

2009-07-10T13:52:00.012+02:00

June 26 saw the debut of my new jazz/funk/groove project, working title MK8, at De Badcuyp, Amsterdam. It started out as a wild plan to get together with a large ensemble who never met before, rehearse 1,5 hours' worth of completely new music, and do the concert in the space of only one day.
Otto Smink, the Badcuyp programmer, inexplicably thought this would be a great idea, so bassist Martin Hiltawski, myself and three other band members set about writing the music. The idea was to have a string section and a brass section, with bass and drums.

The brass:
Johannes Boehmer - trumpet
Morris Kliphuis - horn
Kobi Arditi - trombone

The strings:
Sietse van Gorkom - violin
Oene van Geel - viola
Emile Visser - cello

The rhythm section:
Martin Hiltawski - bass guitar / double bass
Philippe Lemm - drums

For writing music, this is an awesome line up. These strings can do everything from rock guitar sounds to bass lines to sweet string harmonies; the brass can play extremely low to extremely high, open or muted, loud or soft. Everyone can improvise as well. Note the lack of a chord instrument like piano or guitar - brass and strings take turns fulfilling that role whenever they feel like it.

The interesting thing is, you can have the strings play a funk melody, with the brass backing up with long tones, then reverse it, and have the strings play funk chords like a guitar. Then, you can throw all of it together and write 6 part harmony. The possibilities are endless.
Of course, the gig was not the tightest, most well-rehearsed concert in the history of music, but man, did we have fun. We're plotting our return to the stage. More to come.

International Horn Symposium

2009-07-06T22:57:00.005+02:00

A few weeks ago I attended the 2009 International Horn Symposium in the bustling metropolis of Macomb, Illinois, organised by the International Horn Society. An interesting experience. Is it as geeky as it sounds, you ask? Well, yes.
It was also kind of fun to meet hundreds of colleagues from all over the world and hear a horrible but strangely fascinating version of Bohemian Rhapsody for twenty horns.
The direct reason for me being there was to meet the jazz hornists who attended: Rick Todd, Jim Rattigan, Marshall Sealy and the great David Amram.
I believe everyone should have the opportunity to have a conversation with Amram at least once in life. I won't give you his whole resume, but this man worked with everyone from Charlie Parker to Jack Kerouac to Leonard Bernstein and composed a huge bulk of music since the forties. Amram has lived an incredible life of music and art and he's still going at the age of 79. Read his books. They're hilarious.
Suffice to say we played lots of jam sessions, did some crazy jazz horn improv battles and had way too many chicken wings.

Jazz Horn

2009-07-06T18:00:00.003+02:00

The horn (or French horn) is an instrument from classical music that is part of the brass section of the symphony orchestra. It has been my instrument ever since I was captivated by the sound of the three horns in Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, at the age of eight. I started out playing classical music, but since then I have gotten interested in jazz also.
In jazz the horn is very rarely used, especially as a solo instrument. There have been numerous people who have tried to change that, with varying degrees of success. I have decided to try to make a living as a jazz hornist, and I've recently completed my bachelor studies in Jazz Horn performance at the Amsterdam School of the Arts.
I have also been composing music from an early age. Nowadays I regularly compose for jazz big bands, classical orchestras, small ensembles etc, in styles ranging from modern (classical) music to jazz and funk. Sometimes I get commissioned to arrange the music of others, like singer Lucky Fonz III, for certain combinations of instruments.
The reason I have started this blog is that I feel I've reached a point where I need to go out and present my music to a larger audience, so I've decided to start work on a debut album. The thing is, I'm not quite sure yet what I want this album to sound like.
Niels Aalberts, the man behind the EHPO blog and the manager of Kyteman's Hiphop Orchestra, recommended that I start a blog to record my thoughts and experiences in music, so that I can make some sense out of all this. Also it will allow you, the potential audience, to follow my work-in-progress. So here goes!