Guitarist Reinier Baas (1985) graduated maxima cum laude at the Amsterdam Conservatory in 2010, also receiving part of his education at the The Manhattan School of Music. Baas made his North Sea Jazz debut in 2012 and received an Edison Award in 2013 for the album Mostly Improvised Instrumental Indie Music, made with his quintet The More Socially Relevant Jazz Music Ensemble. In his composition, Baas wants to connect classical and jazz music. For this purpose he looks for musicians that are not only adept in the art of improvising, a typical aspect of jazz music, but are also able to place themselves at the service of an orchestra’s sound. Baas lets himself be influenced by composers such as Stravinsky and Prokofiev, but also bands including The Ramones and A Tribe Called Quest and reknowned improvisors such as Craig Taborn and Paul Motian.
