Paramaribop is very much alive! The ‘grand old man’ of Surinamese jazz, Pablo Nahar, returns to the festival this year. Together with drummer Eddy Veldman and pianist Glenn Gaddum Sr., the composer and double bassist founded the legendary Surinam Music Ensemble in 1981. This made him one of the pioneers in the evolution of Paramaribop, an exotic style that represents a unique fusion of Surinamese kaseko and kawina rhythms and abstract and complex harmonies from jazz and bebop. Nahar has collaborated live and in the studio with the likes of Jan Akkerman, Han Bennink and David Murray. Meanwhile, after a sojourn in the Netherlands, he has been living in Suriname for quite some time now and teaches at the conservatory there. With Veldman and Gaddum plus reinforcements including drummer Yoràn Vroom and guitarist Rory Ronde, Nahar presents a swinging ode to Paramaribop in Rotterdam.
