Tobias Klein

fro more information, please send an email to
tsklein@xs4all.nl

(*Saarbrücken, Germany, 1967) moved to Amsterdam in 1990 and studied saxophone and bass clarinet at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with, among others, Jasper Blom and Harry Sparnaay.
As a performing musician, his focus lies mainly on improvised music and contemporary jazz, enriched by his studies of contemporary composed music, live-electronics and techniques derived from African, Eastern European and Asian music. He artistic director of the Spinifex ensemble, and co-leads the groups Dalgoo (with Meinrad Kneer, Lothar Ohlmeier and Christian Marien), Almeida/Duynhoven/Klein, Bugpowder (with Tristan Renfrow and Jasper Stadhouders), 37Fern (with Claron McFadden, Kristina Fuchs and Oguz Büyükberber) and the duo Oguz Büyükberber/Tobias Klein.
Tobias composes for both contemporary jazz groups and for chamber music ensembles.

In 2018, six of his chamber music compositions were recorded by a.o. Fie Schouten and came out on the CD 'Chambery', released by the Dutch label Attacca in their series 'Composer's Portraits'.
In 2010, he was awarded the North Sea Jazz Composition Commission.
Tobias has collaborated with many great musicians such as Jasper Blom, Joost Buis, Oguz Büyükberber, Matthias Muche, Ches Smith, Damien Cluzel, Esra Dalfidan, Benoït Delbecq, John Dikeman, Marc Ducret, Jozef Dumoulin, Kristina Fuchs, Oene van Geel, Onno Govaert, Mark Haanstra, Sylvia de Hartog, Gerri Jaeger, Gijs Levelt, B.C. Manjunath, Claron McFadden, Lothar Ohlmeier, Claudio Puntin, Timuçin Sahin, Emmanuel Scarpa, Chris Speed, Jasper Stadhouders, Raphael Vanoli and Teun Verbruggen.

GREW UP

in Saarbrücken (Germany)

LIVES

in Amsterdam since 1990

STUDIED

saxophone and bass clarinet, with a.o. Jasper Blom and Harry Sparnaay; South Indian musical concepts with Rafael Reina

BEEN BUSY WITH

leading my own bands Spinifex and Lackritz, Maw Sit Sit and Full Fathom Five, co-leading bands/projects like Almeida/Duynhoven/Klein, Man Bites Dog (with Damien Cluzel) and Dalgoo (with Meinrad Kneer), collaborations of Spinifex with bands from France (Umlaut Double Trio), Germany (The Bliss), Turkey (Gevende) and with South-Indian master musicians (Dr. Mysore Manjunath, Dr. Suma Sudhindra, BC Manjunath, Pramath Kiran), working in duo with Oguz Büyükberber and in quartet with Oguz, Claron McFadden and Kristina Fuchs, as well as another quartet including Ches Smith and Rie Watanabe, playing as a sideman in Esra Dalfidan's Fidan and Boi Akih 'Liquid Songs', exploring the work of some Russian poets with the projects Dalgoo New Anatomy and President of the Globe, bands and projects involving impro & Balkan music such as Man Bites Dog Eats Amsterdam Klezmer Band and Deep Fried Angel Fish, playing with the psychedelic Folk band Gevende from Istanbul, fusing impro & Karnatic music with Bhedam, writing for large jazz orchestras David Kweksilber Big Band and Tetzepi, writing chamber music for ensembles like Lyrisch Laag (Fie Schouten/Jelte Althuis), Calefax, Kaïda, To Be Sung, So Low, Duometrie and Duo X

ALSO DOES

work for the TryTone musicians' collective www.trytone.org

TEACHES

HKU Utrecht Conservatory
saxofoonles.amsterdam

HAS PLAYED...

2022
Basklarinet Festijn at Orgelpark and Bimhuis, Amsterdam (with a.o. Louis Sclavis and Rudi Mahall)
Klein / Rosaly / Warelis at Splendor Amsterdam
Spinifex Sings at Bimhuis Amsterdam, Moers Festival, Que Jazz E Este (Viseu PT)
Spinifex at Ponavafest, Brno and Citadelic Festival Gent
Kitchen Orchestra at Maijazz Festival, Stavanger (NO)
Büyükberber/Klein soundtrips NRW tour

2021
Spinifex at Belgrade Jazz Festival
at Bimhuis Amsterdam and Hot House Leiden with Oguz Büyükberber, Rie Watanabe and Ches Smith

2019
Spinifex SOUFIFEX at AMR Festival, Genève, Bimhuis, Rewire Festival and tour in Europe
At North Sea Jazz Festival with Spinifex

2018
at Moers Festival, Jazz Goes To Town Festival and Houtfestival with Spinifex SOUFIFEX
with Boi Akih 'Philosophy of Love' at Glatt & Verkehrt Festival and Folk Holidays Festival
with 37Fern at Tivoli/Vredenburg, Paradox, Splendor and Kunstgetij
with Dalgoo at Aufsturz, Berlin
ini-Art Festival with Omelette

2017
at Holland Festival with Boi Akih Controlling the Swing
tour in the Netherlands with Boi Akih Liquid Songs
tour in Portugal with Spinifex

2016
Basklarinet Festijn concerts with, among others, Armand Angster, Michael Riessler and Steffen Schorn
tour in Portugal with Spinifex
tour in Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Czechia, Germany and France with Spinifex
tour in the Netherlands with Boi Akih Liquid Songs

2015
tours in Russia with Spinifex and in the Netherlands with Spinifex Maximus

2014
tour in India, Belgium and Hungary with Spinifex BOLLYCORE
Basklarinet Festijn concerts with, among others, Harry Sparnaay, Jelte Althuis, Oguz Büyükberber, Claudio Puntin and Steffen Schorn

2013
tour in India with Spinifex
with Spinifex: Mediawave Festival (Hungary)
tour in Portugal with Spinifex
with Spinifex: tour in Poland, Slovakia, Austria and Slovenia

2012
tour in India with Spinifex Indian Spin [FX], with Indian masters Dr. Suma Sudhindra (veena), A.R.A.K. Sharma (percussion) and Pramath Kiran (percussion)
tour in the Netherlands with Spinifex Indian Spin [FX] & Dr. Mysore Manjunath, Music Meeting (Nijmegen), Tropentheater (Amsterdam) a.o.
with Oguz Büyükberber, Simon Nabatov and Wolter Wierbos at North Sea Jazz Festival and Istanbul Jazz Festival
with Spinifex at Houtfestival, Bimhuis, Zomerjazzfietstour and showcases at Dutch Jazz & World Meeting and Jazzahead/European Jazz Meeting
with Balkan Clarinet Summit (with a.o. Steffen Schorn, Claudio Puntin, Stavros Pazarentsis) tour in Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia Turkey and Greece


2011
tour in India with Spinifex Indian Spin [FX], with Indian masters Dr. Mysore Manjunath (violin), Dr. Suma Sudhindra (veena), B.C. Manjunath (percussion) and Pramath Kiran (percussion)
with Timuçin Sahin's Occult & Thomas Morgan and Kenny Grohowski at Borusan, Istanbul
with Oguz Buyukberber Quartet at Tamirhane, Nardis, Alt and Nublu clubs (Istanbul)
with Toine Thys Wonder Brass Band at Jazz au Chellah, Rabat, Marocco
with Fidan at Bayrisches Jazzweekend, Regensburg
with Spinifex Indian Spin [FX] at Festival Mundial, Tilburg (NL)
with Fidan at AKBank Jazz Festival (Istanbul)
with Spinifex & Gevende at Pera Fest, Istanbul


2010
with Spinifex Tuba Band meets Umlaut & Ducret+Rayon at Bimhuis, SJU Jazzpodium, Paradox and Jazzpower
with Gevende + Klein & Cluzel at Eskisehir Jazz Festival
with different improvisors at Moers Festival, morning sessions
with Lackritz at North Sea Jazz Festival, having received the composition commission of the NSJF and Music Centre The Netherlands
with Spinifex Tuba Band at ZomerJazzFietsTour, Groningen
with Buyukberber-Klein at Frischzelle Festival, Cologne and Düsseldorf

2009
with Timeart Ensemble at Frischzelle Festival Cologne and Düsseldorf
with JazzPlaysEurope Laboratory Band, tour of 5 European countries

2008
with Gevende & Klein & Cluzel at Babylon and Peyote (Istanbul)
with Fidan at North Sea Jazz
in duo with Oguz Buyukberber at AKBank Festival, Istanbul
in many theaters with RO Theater's Woyzeck (directed by Gerardjan Rijnders)

2007
concert series at the Bimhuis and Tropentheater Amsterdam with Spinifex Orchestra
Planicie Mediterranica Festival Castro Verde, Portugal with Gevende

2006
Grenoble Jazz Festival and Les Trois Jours Festival Groningen with Les Métamorphoses
Ankara Jazz Festival with Fidan
music for the theatre piece 'Solitude'
Banyoles Jazz Festival (Spain) with Man Bites Dog

2005
tour in Russia with President of the Globe
tour in Bulgaria and Russia with Deep Fried Angel Fish
Clarinets with Oguz Büyükberber and Hüsnü Senlendirici
with Timucin Sahin's Occult in Istanbul

2004
tour in Poland with Dalgoo
tour in the Netherlands with Man Bites Dog Eats Amsterdam Klezmer Band
tour in the Baltics with Ninsk

2003
tour in Lithuania, Poland and Germany with Man Bites Dog
with Dalgoo New Anatomy at the Days of Dutch Culture, St.Petersburg
tour in India and the Netherlands with Bhedam
tour in the Netherlands and France with Mosaic & special guest Benoît Delbecq

2002
tour in India with Bhedam
tour in Russia with Dalgoo New Anatomy

2001
tour in France, Germany and the Netherlands with Man Bites Dog & special guest Chris Speed

2000
Jazz Festival Girona and tour in France with Man Bites Dog

1999
SJU Jazz Festival Utrecht, commission for compositions for Tetzepi and live-electronics
Cobra with John Zorn, Den Bosch