Has there ever been a more adventurous ensemble than ICP Orchestra? It’s hard to imagine one. The New York Times had this to say about them: ‘They are scholars and physical comedians, critics and joy-spreaders’. The Instant Composers Pool (ICP) was founded in 1967 through the efforts of pianist Misha Mengelberg, drummer (now Artist In Residence) Han Bennink and saxophonist Willem Breuker. The term ‘instant composing’, used for the first time in 1958 by guitarist Jim Hall, was gratefully adopted by Mengelberg for ICP’s concept of free improvisation. Breuker left ICP in 1974. After that time the ICP Tentet was established and this group then developed into the orchestra we know today. Mature, without tedious routines: not one performance is like the last. And the effort of special guests, who are often unpredictable, warrants a concert filled with surprising twists and turns. This year, among others, we will see American guitarist Marc Ribot on stage with ICP.
