TonePool Paradox

The fifth BIMHUIS Composition Commission, in their anniversary year, has been awarded to composer-conductor Tyn Wybenga. With his Brainteaser method, bandleader and sound wizard Tyn Wybenga found a way to capture the new jazz generation in music. In celebration of fifty years of BIMHUIS, he presents his renewed orchestra and special guests from the musical outer limits. Expect recycled samples, electronics, orchestral grooves, wild improvisation, and spacey soundscapes.

As our Nieuwe Maker (New Creator), Tyn Wybenga took the opportunity to capture the essence of the Amsterdam jazz scene. The Brainteaser Orchestra (formerly AM.OK) reflects a new generation that transcends boundaries. All the music is written using the Brainteaser method: recording live improvisations by band members and guest soloists, cutting out hundreds of samples, and then restructuring them in a new way into fresh compositions. Wybenga approaches this with unashamed playfulness, and the orchestra shows immense promise for the future.

“Brainteaser is built from small, repeated gear-like mechanisms, over which rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic layers are laid. Wybenga draws from many sources and creates a convincing and idiosyncratic synthesis. His music shifts color like a kaleidoscope. Although the pieces are tightly constructed, there is also room for improvisation. Alto player Yanna Pelser solos both singing and playing at the same time, with lines full of beautiful lamentation; saxophonist Kika Sprangers plays gorgeously from a rare place of relaxation, while clarinetist Federico Calcagno and guitarist Teis Semey employ cubist tones. Stunning.”
— Het Parool

Tonepool Paradox ft. Otis Sandsjö