Dick de Graaf Quartet

"His music is like a warm blanket that wraps up the listener," wrote the music site Rootstime.be recently in a review of the new CD LIFELINE (Zennez Records) that the Dick de Graaf Quartet will present in Rotterdam on June 20. Saxophonist and composer Dick de Graaf has been known for decades as an inspired and adventurous saxophonist with a timeless warm tone and as a composer of catchy melodies that linger in the ears of listeners for a long time.

In his hybrid jazz, he and his bandmates effortlessly switch between swinging inside-the-chord jazz and free improvisations. He sees his music as a hospitable reception room where musical elements from all kinds of music styles are welcome. Over the years, music by Jimi Hendrix, Franz Schubert, JS Bach and Paul McCartney have also served as inspiration for surprising rhythms, warm-blooded improvisations and infectious fun.

Tonight, the audience will be carried away by new pieces that were created during the tour on the occasion of the Edison Oeuvre Award that Dick received in 2022 for his contributions to Dutch jazz. In the liner notes of the CD LIFELINE, he writes about the special relationship between the jazz musicians on stage and the listeners in the club. “The state of the world raises more and more questions. It is important to look for answers and to tell each other stories that help with this. As a musician, I have the privilege of inviting you to my musical sanctuary to listen to my stories without words, swinging and comforting”.

Pianist Barry Green moved from London, where he still performs and teaches, to Rotterdam a few years ago. An informal performance with Dick led to telepathic moments from the very first moment and meant a fruitful start for a long collaboration. The energetic and much sought-after bassist Marijn van de Ven and Dick met each other at the time that Marijn was a student and Dick was a teacher in the jazz department of Codarts. Pascal Vermeer, with his broad musical perspective and his flexible and dynamic playing, has been an indispensable source of inspiration for many years in various ensembles of de Graaf and many other creative musicians in jazz and improvised music.

Occupation:

Dick de Graaf – tenor and soprano saxophone, flute

Barry Green – piano

Marijn van de Ven – double bass

Pascal Vermeer – drums