Ben van Gelder (NL)

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Ben van Gelder is an alto saxophonist from Groningen whose connection to jazz runs deep. He grew up above Swingmaster, his father's record shop, which for years held a stand at North Sea Jazz Festival. That family link to the festival eventually shaped a whole musical project: The Whole Wide World Is Round, a tribute to North Sea Jazz in which the work of vocalist Abbey Lincoln serves as the central inspiration. Lincoln's poetic writing on ancestry, time and identity gave Van Gelder a starting point for new compositions built around the idea of memory. He performs the music as a quintet, joined by Sam Harris on piano, Rick Rosato on double bass, Craig Weinrib on drums and Peter Schlamb on vibraphone.