Description
Bringing 13 independent bandleaders together in a single ensemble is usually a gamble, for Tyn Wybenga, it is a core philosophy. The Dutch composer and conductor, born in 1993, has assembled a powerful collective with his "hugely inventive and fast-thinking" (UK Jazz News) Brainteaser Orchestra, uniting the vanguard of the current Amsterdam scene - including guitarist Teis Semey, saxophonist Kika Sprangers, drummer Jamie Peet, violinists George Dimitriu and Yanna Pelser, trombonist Nabou Claerhout, clarinetist Federico Calcagno, and bassist Alessandro Fongaro. This lineup has been making international waves, highlighted by invitations to major European festivals and a recent performance alongside Pat Metheny at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Now comes Tonepool Paradox, the orchestra's second album, commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Amsterdam's legendary BIMHUIS.
Wybenga's compositional approach radically breaks with big band conventions. His process mirrors that of a hip-hop producer: he records solo improvisations by his musicians, chops the material into pieces, and uses these fragments as samples to build entirely new tracks. Wybenga layers jazz, electronics, and contemporary classical music without ever sounding academic or overintellectualized.
For Tonepool Paradox, he expanded this concept internationally, bringing in guests such as Berlin-based saxophonist Otis Sandjo, Parisian violinist Theo Ceccaldi, singer Lizz Wright, and hip-hop vocalist Pink Oculus. Mixed by Grammy winner Nic Hard (Snarky Puppy), the sound brings together the diverse musical styles of everyone involved, juxtaposing the angular lines of the horns with sweeping, melodic string passages.
The result is not sterile concept art, but organic, modern large-ensemble jazz.
