Dutch cellist, composer & improvisor Ernst Reijseger is an influential improvising musician who developed a personal vocabulary on his instrument. His compositions and collaborations transcend musical styles and art forms.
Since 2004, Reijseger has scored films for Werner Herzog, Alex and Andrew Smith and others. In 2013 Reijseger played in dialogue with paintings by Jerry Zeniuk by making a tour through the gallery whilst playing, and in 2017 he scored and performed his music to Shakespeare’s Hamlet at The Public Theatre in New York City.
His musical collaborations include many styles: improvised and jazz music – Harmen Fraanje, Han Bennink, Misha Mengelberg, Steve Lacy, Uri Caine, Deborah Brown – classical and baroque music – Yo Yo Ma, Giovanni Sollima, Erik Bosgraaf, Dutch Wind Ensemble, Forma Antiqua – and traditional music – Trilok Gurtu, Tenore e Concordu de Orosei, Groove Lélé, Nana Vasconcelos, A Filetta, Mola Sylla, Ceylan Ertem.
Reijseger’s live performances challenge expectations and provoke communication, as he incorporates the acoustics and reflections of the performance space.
Harmen Fraanje is a pianist, composer and educator from the Netherlands.
He leads and co-leads several projects like his solo project, trio Reijseger Fraanje Sylla, a quartet with Magic Malik, Brice Soniano and Toma Gouband, a new duo with Norwegian trumpet player Arve Henriksen, a trio with Finnish musicians Aino Peltomaa on voice and Mikko Perkola on viola da gamba and a duo with Dutch guitarist Anton Goudsmit. These groups mostly perform original works with a lot of space for improvisation.
Harmen is also very active in various projects in the European jazz scene, like the Mats Eilertsen Trio and Michael Moore’s Fragile Quartet. Recordings of the projects he’s involved in have been released by renowned record labels like ECM, Winter & Winter, Outhere Music, Hubro Music, Challenge Jazz…
Harmen is section representative of the jazz piano faculty and principal subject teacher at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam / University of the Arts Amsterdam. Additionally, he is frequently invited to give workshops and masterclasses at other conservatories in Europe.
“Harmen Fraanje is emerging as one of the most impressive young European pianists of the past decade.” – AllAboutJazz
