Benjamin Herman

Benjamin Herman (London, 9 May 1968) is a Dutch jazz musician. He is best known as an alto saxophonist and as leader of the jazz band New Cool Collective. Herman also plays the C-melody saxophone and flute. He also has a radio show on Radio 6 (Netherlands).

Biography

Herman comes from a family of six children. His twin brother Jonathan works as a director. His mother is Dutch; his father was a rabbi and worked as a psychotherapist. At the age of eight, Herman and his family moved to the Netherlands.

At the age of twelve, Herman started playing the saxophone. At thirteen, he was already performing on the professional club circuit. Within a few years, Benjamin had played all over the world with various groups and initiated his own projects. When he was seventeen, Herman played for the first time at the North Sea Jazz Festival.[1]

Herman studied at the Hilversum Conservatory, from which he graduated cum laude in 1991. In that year, he was the only European selected for the Thelonious Monk Competition.[2] He also studied at the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

In 1993, Herman founded New Cool Collective, an eight-piece band with influences from jazz, soul and Latin music.[3] He composes the music for this band, as well as the bigger New Cool Collective Big Band, and is also the leader of both. In 2011, New Cool Collective released its twelfth album, Eighteen.

Benjamin Herman has played with musicians such as Jan Akkerman, Candy Dulfer, Wouter Hamel, de Gigantjes, Henk Westbroek, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Loïs Lane, Michiel Borstlap, Jesse van Ruller, Joost Patocka, Fakkelbrigade, Paul Weller, Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, Misha Mengelberg, Pete Philly & Perquisite, Hans Teeuwen, Saskia Laroo, C-Mon & Kypski, Chef'Special en Roos Jonker.[4]

In 2012, Herman released the album Deal, which is also the soundtrack of Eddy Terstalls move of the same name. Herman recorded this album with Jesse van Ruller, Joost Kroon, Manuel Hugas, Carlo de Wijs and The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Benjamin Herman released a new solo album, Café Solo, in July 2013, featuring Ernst Glerum (bass) and Joost Patocka (drums).

His album Live (release date January 24, 2014) has Herman and his quartet playing on the occasion of De Kring’s 90th anniversary. His previous album Café Solo already included two tracks of those recordings and now, due to popular demand, the other tracks have been made available. Live also features two tracks from a concert Herman gave with his trio in November 2013 during Jazzfest at Amsterdam’s Studio/K.

Besides his usual rhythm section of Ernst Glerum and Joost Patočka, Herman is accompanied by the Spanish pianist Miguel Rodríguez, who has been the house pianist for De Kring sessions for the last 1.5 years.

Benjamin Herman’s 16th solo album Trouble is released on 11 July 2014. In a new departure for the multi-talented saxophonist, his latest solo disc is a joint project with 24-year-old Daniel von Piekartz.

For the first time in his career, Herman has devoted an entire album to vocal numbers. “Daniel originally planned to play on two tracks. He is incredibly musical and ideas just kept flowing... we didn’t want it to stop,” Herman recalls. Von Piekartz plays and sings on eight of the ten tracks.

Discography

Albums and singles released by Benjamin Herman. "Artist" denotes with whom or in which formation Benjamin Herman released the album or single.

Albums/Vinyl
Year Title Artist
1991 Between a Dog and a Lamppost Maarten van der Grinten/Herman Quartet
1994 Psychodixie for C-Melody Saxophone Van der Grinten/Herman Quartet
1994 Five Up High Featuring Marius Beets, Joost Patocka and Jasper Blom
1996 Lost Languages in Sad Serenades & Jocular Jazz Van der Grinten/Herman Quartet
1996 Café Alto Benjamin Herman Trio[5]
1999 Get In With Jesse van Ruller, Larry Goldings and Idris Muhammad
2000 Plays Misha Mengelberg With Jos Machtel and Martijn Vink
2001 Plays Jaki Byard With Pierre Christophe[5]
2004 Heterogeneity With Misha Mengelberg and Bert Joris[5]
2005 The Itch With Han Bennink, Anton Goudsmit and Ernst Glerum
2006 The London Session With Bart van Lier and Stan Tracey
2006 A Curse and a Sigh Van der Grinten / Herman Quartet
2007 Campert. De Tijd Duurt Eén Mens Lang With Gideon van Gelder
2008 Hypochristmastreefuzz. More Mengelberg Benjamin Herman with Ernst Glerum, Joost Patocka, Anton Goudsmit, Willem Friede and Ruben Hein
2009 Deelder 65 (10” vinyl with cd)
2009 Blue Sky Blond With Paul Weller, Perquisite and Jesse van Ruller
2010 Hypochristmastreefuzz (Special Edition)
2010 Made In China 7" vinyl ep With IACW and Janne Schra
2011 Sherry Britton/Tempest Storm 7" vinyl
2012 DEAL With Jesse van Ruller, Joost Kroon, Manuel Hugas and Carlo de Wijs
2013 Café Solo With Joost Patocka and Ernst Glerum
2014 Live With Joost Patocka, Ernst Glerum and Miguel Rodriguez
2014 Trouble With Joost Patocka, Ernst Glerum, Daniel von Piekartz and Miguel Rodriguez
Singles
Year Title
2004 Skunkaholic
2005 Durban Poison
2005 Haze
New Cool Collective
Year Title
1996 Soul Jazz Latin Flavours Nineties Vibe New Cool Collective
1997 More! Soul Jazz Latin Flavours Nineties Vibes New Cool Collective
1999 Big New Cool Collective
2001 Bring It On New Cool Collective
2004 Best of 94-99 New Cool Collective
2005 Trippin' New Cool Collective, featuring Tony Allen
2008 Out of Office New Cool Collective
2007 New Cool Collective Big Band Live New Cool Collective Big Band
2009 Chocolade New Cool Collective with Typhoon
2009 Sugar Protocol New Cool Collective featuring Los Papines
2010 Pachinko New Cool Collective Big Band
2010 In Concert New Cool Collective
2011 Eighteen New Cool Collective
2013 Chin Chin New Cool Collective
2014 Electric Monkey Sessions New Cool Collective

Awards

References

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