The Solitary Saxophone

Claude Delangle - The Solitary Saxophone

The coming weeks I will post some of my main musical influences and inspirations. This is the album cover of Claude Delangle’s ‘The Solitary Saxophone’. Especially the Berio Soprano/Oboe ‘Sequenza’s’ inspired me as a teenager. The sound world of these pieces, and the way Delangle played this piece are something else! Both of the Berio pieces still represent the ‘contemporary’ saxophone to me. When the CD was released I remember already noticing the heavy acoustics. In spite of this, I tried to listen through the acoustics and to really hear the saxophone. How could Delangle play like this? This sounded unlike I whatever I heard on the sax before, even classical. If this is possible on a sax, what else was!?
Arno Bornkamp also released a Berio alto Sequenza on ‘Reed my Mind’ (not available anymore, in the future Bornkamp might put the audio for download again here: http://www.arnobornkamp.nl/#disco). Both recordings are extremely different, not only in acoustics. Delangle’s recording has more distance and is more objective. His sound is clear and transparent. This interpretation gives room for the listener to have his own musical association while at the same time conveying the musical thoughts of the composer.

Also the way a composer can make two completely different pieces, using a contrasting style is astonishing. The oboe Sequenza is quite avant-gardistisch and conceptual, the alto one is more melodic and much lengthier. But both pieces go beyond style. This is characteristic for true artists. Sometimes art is just so strong that within whichever style it becomes ‘music’, or even more.

It is difficult for me to explain, but together with the Stockhausen and the other repertoire, this CD represents something very dear to me. There are no concessions on this album. This is what it is. There’s no doubt in the repertoire and the way it’s played. And that’s something that gave me inspiration to pursue a career in music and especially the saxophone. Apparently this music was possible on the sax. I did not get it 100%, but this album provided me with a path to follow. I wanted to ‘understand’ this music and learn how to play it, to find other pieces like this and to learn how to play them.

And of course the saxophone technique is pure mastery. I remember listening very closely to the album while trying to analyse the sound, the intonation (I even put a tuner in front of the speaker!), the even registers, phrasing, articulation…

Here’s the Spotify link to ‘The Solitary Saxophone’: https://open.spotify.com/album/0pzbtxim3lVmSj4Y1L2KoQ…


My new group premiers this year in Paradox!

January 15 is the official premier of my new group RIOT in Paradox Tilburg during the Fontys Academy of Music & Performing Arts Nederlands Saxofoon Festival with saxophonist/clarinettist/composer Maarten Ornstein and percussionist/composer Bart de Vrees. We are in the process of writing new music as we speak. https://paradoxtilburg.nl/programma/riot-paradox-nls-saxofoonfestival/ It's a very exciting time in which I am rerouting my career to new paths and exploring the edges of styles. ‘RIOT’ is the final concert of the Netherlands Saxophone Festival organized by the AMPA Fontys Conservatory. Saxophonist Ties Mellema, professor of saxophone at AMPA, put together a program that marks the start of a new phase in his career. He will do this together with his new group ‘RIOT’ with saxophonist/clarinettist/composer Maarten Ornstein, percussionist/composer Bart de Vrees and students of the AMPA Conservatory in Tilburg. ‘RIOT’ will premier in jazz club Paradox in Tilburg. Ties, Maarten en Bart are members of the groundbreaking musicians collective ‘Splendor’ in Amsterdam. But their past goes back years. Ties and Bart played together in the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Maarten composed many important solo and ensemble works for Ties. In the mean time the three artists developed themselves, each on their own path. Ties decided to bring them together in a new group called ‘RIOT’ that unites their musical backgrounds into one. In Paradox Tilburg ‘RIOT’ will play new pieces that the trio made together inspired by music of Squarepusher, Boards Of Canada, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Eddie Harris, Johann Sebastian Bach, Aphex Twin, John Coltrane, Claude Debussy, and many others. An evening with soundscapes, sheets of sound, beats, improvisation and above all, everything in between.

What's Next?

Last week I played a solo concert in Splendor Amsterdam. I was quite nervous. I decided I want to go something else with my music after a period of four years of being sick and recuperating.
I played contemporary music: a quarter tone piece by Sander Germanus. An absolutely genius piece. He wrote a saxophone quartet for my former quartet, the Amstel Quartet, which we all loved. Playing this piece is one of my warmest Amstel memories. He also wrote a solo piece, which is written in what he calls micro-modes. My extraordinary Raaf Hekkema recorded the piece and you can hear it here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1QXg8kcxYjFLFpa3MFgQlc?si=sA-U32eETdSwXcvWMfsErQ Sander himself says that you shouldn't do drugs, but listen to his music instead. And it is true. This music creates a sort of surreal atmosphere in which the listener experiences notes he knows on an instrument he knows, but with a completely different sound altogether. Combine that with the nifty tempo variations, that also upset the listener and you get a piece that sounds like no other music I have every heard. And I only need one saxophone to play it.
I also played with drummer Vinsent Planjer. He wrote a piece called "Boeventronie" for baritone saxophone and drums. Vinsent is one of the most creative improvisors I know. He is absolutely open to just about anything.
But the thing I was most nervous about was my own music, for electronics and a bit of saxophone. I used Squarepusher like beats and sampled Donald Trump. I loved making it, thinking about how to build up, what sounds to use... It was an adventure.
To close off I played with Ivo Bol, an electronic musician who doesn't know boundaries. He was the one who introduced me to electronic music as a performer.

And what is next?

Not sure. I will have some meetings with fellow musicians who appeal to me and whom I want to play with. To be continued!