TOBIAS KLEIN
alto saxophone, bass clarinets, composition
Spinifex
Tobias Klein - alto saxophone
Bart Maris - trumpet
John Dikeman - tenor saxophone
Jasper Stadhouders - guitar
Goncalo Almeida - bass guitar
Philipp Moser - drums
Amsterdam-based Spinifex, named after a tough Australian species of grass, may at first sound like a combination of free improv, punkrock and other typically Western contemporary music. However, beneath the surface the listener will discover ancient cyclical rhythms from Turkish and Indian musical cultures.
Drummer and astro-physicist Philipp Moser is known for his work with Dutch progressive metal band Cilice. Guitarist Jasper Stadhouders can frequently be heard in Ken Vandermark's group Made To Break and with his own Polyband. The Portuguese, Rotterdam-based bassist Gonçalo Almeida switches effortlessly between a beautifully rounded sound and heavy electric distortion. Tenor saxophonist John Dikeman has been impressing audiences performing with his trio with William Parker and Hamid Drake, as well as with Universal Indians/Joe McPhee. Flemish trumpet master Bart Maris has become one of the most prominent and original voices in European progressive jazz. Alto saxophonist Tobias Klein, the motor behind the band, has also made a name for himself as a bass clarinet player and composer.
website
Spinifex-electronic-press-kit
In February 2024, Spinifex recorded new material and documented it on video. The album UNDRILLING THE HOLE, recorded by Vincent de Bast at Werkplaats Walter in Brussels, is due to be released on 4 October 2024.
The new repertoire ripened beautifully during the tour in December '23 that brought the ensemble to Belgium, Germany, Ukraine, Hungary, Austria and Czech Republic.
reviews
(About Spinifex at Moers Festival 2018) "A splashing finish of the most impressive festival day we had in a long time... a band of extreme contrasts which moves freely at one moment, only to abruptly and mercilessly strike with ultratight interplay the next moment... Spinifex compositions are ingenious constructs that are moulded like clay, only in their case it's C-4." Guy Peters, enola.be
"Ambitious yet unpretentious, tight, catchy, but also fearlessly exploratory and experimental." Dave Foxall (Jazz Journal, UK)
“…only working bands as Spinifex can reach such high and tight levels of communication and sonic scope…” Eyal Hareuveni, Salt Peanuts
“Fun. Effective. Collaborative … Punk exuberance is doused by Necrophagist-level precision.” Andrey Henkin, The New York City Jazz Record
"... Everyone here seems to bring out the best in each other, perhaps even things otherwise inaccessible.... we get everything from snaking unisons to free-form blowing—a bountiful piece from a bountiful group of musicians." Eric McDowell, Free Jazz Collective ****½
"Ambitious yet unpretentious, tight, catchy, but also fearlessly exploratory and experimental." Dave Foxall (Jazz Journal, UK)
“…only working bands as Spinifex can reach such high and tight levels of communication and sonic scope…” Eyal Hareuveni, Salt Peanuts
“Fun. Effective. Collaborative … Punk exuberance is doused by Necrophagist-level precision.” Andrey Henkin, The New York City Jazz Record
"... Everyone here seems to bring out the best in each other, perhaps even things otherwise inaccessible.... we get everything from snaking unisons to free-form blowing—a bountiful piece from a bountiful group of musicians." Eric McDowell, Free Jazz Collective ****½