It's hard not to feel overwhelmed by all of the young talent working in jazz today, many of whom reside in our backyard in New York City. Meanwhile, there are arguably more skilled musicians than ever playing the music outside the United States. Here are four mega-talented Dutch artists you may not know, but should.
We asked the artistic director of the So What's Next? Festival, Frank Veenstra, to make a playlist that features some lesser-known Dutch artists. He chose Bram Stadhouders and Art Strootman, who make up the intimate guitar duo Monesteria; Stadhouders's ambitious new release The Big Barrel Organ; and a new recording by drummer Joost Lijbaart,featuring the blossoming singer Sanne Rambags.
So What's Next is held in Eindoven, the fifth largest city in Holland, with a population of roughly 230,000 people. It’s exhilarating to see such a forward-thinking festival overseas, one that spotlights so many young, cutting-edge talent. Veenstra, who says it gets its programming help from The North Sea Jazz Festival, also seeks advice from New York City presenters Meghan Stabile, from Revive Music, and Brice Rosenbloom, from the NYC Winter Jazz Fest. (As you may know, the next NYC Winter Jazzfest is coming this January.)
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