Pianist and composer Jeroen van Vliet has been granted the Composition Assignment North Sea Jazz 2008. Van Vliet’s compositions for a small ensemble will premiere on Friday July 11th on the Madeira stage.

Line-up:

• Erwin Vann (B)- saxophones/electronics
• Afra Mussawisade (D)- percussion/electronics
• Anton Goudsmit - guitar
• Jeroen van Vliet - piano/electronics
• Frans van der Hoeven - bass
• Pascal Vermeer - drums
• Tijmen Zinkhaan – sound technician

The characteristic sound of Jeroen van Vliet is the result of a confluence of diverse jazz attitudes and styles. He effortlessly combines influences from classical music – such as the development of themes along extended lines - with techniques common to bebop or modern acoustic jazz. Jeroen van Vliet’s compositions betray an intelligent lyricism and are characterized by the craftily constructed musical tension and the subtle changes in the space allocated to the soloists.

Though a romantic, Van Vliet does not shy away from adventure. In all of his works he makes use of strong dynamics to play a game of contrasts. Gems of compositional seeds offer ample inspiration and opportunity for cutting-edge improvisation. Through this process Jeroen van Vliet achieves a perfect integration of composition and (collective) improvisation: composition transforms imperceptibly into improvisation and vice-versa.