5 December 2019 from 20H
REEDS & DEEDS (NL/USA) - Frans Vermeerssen (saxes), Alex Coke (saxes, flut), Bo van de Graaf (saxes) Michiel Braam (piano), Arjen Gorter (double bass), Makki van Engelen (drums)

Reeds & Deeds play a tribute to the great Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Rahsaan Roland Kirk (August 7, 1935 - December 5, 1977) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments. He was renowned for his onstage vitality, during which virtuoso improvisation was accompanied by comic banter, political ranting, and the ability to play several instruments simultaneously. He became blind at an early age as a result of poor medical treatment. In 1970, Kirk added "Rahsaan" to his name after hearing it in a dream. Rahsaan's work reveals a timelessness and yearning for freedom and exploration. Like the AACM, Jimi Hendrix, Charles Mingus and Archie Shepp, Rahsaan had a way of capturing the spirit of the times without feeling dated. There's a melding of tradition with eclecticism and iconoclastic irreverence that informs both Rahsaan's compositions and the Dutch mindset.

The six Reeds & Deeds members are from The Netherlands and the US and have their roots in the (post-) freejazz era and played all over the world with, just to mention a few, the Willem Breuker Kollektief, Mal Waldron, Theo Loevendie, I Compani, Bik Bent Braam, and many many others. The project refers to a 1963 album recorded by Kirk and honoring one of the great American jazz musicians. Every performance finds the music going a bit further and the roots becoming a bit deeper. There is a joy of discovery between band members, an awareness of structures and tonalities, and letting the music rip. Rahsaan's music gives the freedom to create a palimpsest that celebrates and honors his influence on us as artists, musicians and human beings.

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