Ben van Gelder

Dutch-born alto saxophonist Ben Van Gelder stands out as a creative musician celebrated for his forward-thinking fusion of styles within post-bop jazz and contemporary improvisational forms. Having trained with singular figures including Lee Konitz and Mark Turner, he has drawn acclaim for distinctive small-group recordings such as the 2011 release Frame of Reference, the 2017 album Among Verticals, and the 2019 project Mokum in Hi-Fi.

Born in Groningen, Netherlands, in 1988, Van Gelder was raised in a household centered on music, where his father operated a record store and his mother performed classical repertoire. Alongside his brother Gideon, he began piano instruction in childhood. At age eleven, after attending a concert by Benjamin Herman of the New Cool Collective, he switched to saxophone and commenced formal jazz study. At seventeen he relocated to New York City to enroll at the New School, where lessons with forward-thinking musicians such as Lee Konitz, Mark Turner, and Guillermo Klein proved formative. He later completed his studies at the Amsterdam Conservatory and the University of Amsterdam. Since that time he has maintained residences in both New York and the Netherlands while performing alongside artists including David Binney, Ambrose Akinmusire, Thomas Morgan, and Ben Street.

Van Gelder fronts a quartet featuring vibraphonist Peter Schlamb, bassist Rick Rosato, and drummer Craig Weinrib. The group issued its debut, Frame of Reference, in 2011. In 2013 the ensemble returned with Reprise, now augmented by pianist Sam Harris, and that same year the saxophonist took part in the Thelonious Monk Competition.

Recognition has included the Deloitte Jazz Award and the Princess Christina Concours, both earned for duo work with his brother, pianist Gideon Van Gelder. He also became the first artist to receive a commission from Amsterdam’s BIMHUIS. In 2017 he issued his third full-length recording, Among Verticals, which expanded the core group to include trumpeter Philip Dizack and tenor saxophonist Kyle Wilson. The following year Smash Hits captured two live performances given in the Netherlands with guitarist Reinier Baas and the Metropole Orkest. Van Gelder and Baas subsequently reunited as a duo for the intimate 2019 album Mokum in Hi-Fi.