Violinist Oene van Geel and bassist Mark Haanstra played together for many years in various bands. The duo created chamber music with a groove in Mosaic, was inspired by India in Bhedam and turned to alternative pop music in the band Voer. Their musical ideas blended together to form such a unique sound that it was time to form their own band in which their insights would play a central role. The group became the Oxymore Quintet and the dream musicians of van Geel and Haanstra are saxophonist Guillaume Orti, pianist Harmen Fraanje and drummer Chander Sardjoe. The band was formed at the end of 2006 and after an intense preparatory period, they recently released their first album. In both their own compositions and arrangements of the music of Radiohead, for example, the Oxymore Quintet tries to bridge the gap between improvisation and composition. The factor that binds the band is the pure pleasure the musicians have in making music.
