// About

Ah yes, the curse of constant change. All travelers in jazz music are burdened with walking that walk to some extent. Truth be told, Dutch jazz icon Benjamin Herman has been particularly consistent at it: almost as consistent as his sharp fashion sense. His instantly recognisable alt sax sound drifts dirt roads like the finest Sprinter Trueno and pierces underbellies like a pugilist’s body shot. Herman can bop, he can boogie, he can bellow… and has spent his time on earth thus far non-conforming to the beaten paths.

Born in London and raised in The Netherlands, Benjamin Herman has been a familiar face in jazz music for over three decades. Getting his first saxophone at his bar mitzvah as a kid, you could say he’s been staving off adulthood ever since. No lack of diligence, however: by the age of 17, Herman already played his first North Sea Jazz Festival, becoming the only European at the time to be selected for the Thelonious Monk Competition – blazing an early path towards studying at the Manhattan School of Music.

Herman hasn’t looked back since. In his quixotic quest, he managed to bump into an enviable list of collaborators: Paul Weller, John Cooper Clarke, Tony Allen, Otomo Yoshihide, Candy Dulfer, Han Bennink and Idris Muhammad – just to name a few. His beloved breakthrough band New Cool Collective attracted philanderers like moths to flame in their finest threads, whereas more idiosyncratic projects like Bughouse channel a primal punk spirit, loosening neckties in a hot fever.

One thing you can never accuse Herman of is having bad taste. Exploring the aviaries of standard bearers like Charlie Parker, or entertaining the free jazz/ no wave thrill seeking of James Chance and The Contortions – these extremes are all part of his teetering, tottering wheelhouse.

Sometimes the lanes Herman swerves into are delightfully particular. For example, Project S – his cinematic ode to the Citroën SM, football legend Johan Cruyff’s vehicle of choice, roaming the realms of Serge Gainbourg and Fausto Papetti. Or Deal, Herman’s dashing orchestral score to the eponymous Eddy Terstal film.

When not blazing a trail, Herman inteprets, like on Hypochristmastreefuzz, tackling compositions by the late great freejazz-pianist Misha Mengelberg. Over three decades in, Herman still operates at the bleeding edge: skronking and serenading, alt sax always within arm’s reach. His 2023 ravin’ ronkin’ outing Nostalgia Blitz taps into the spirits of no wave movers-and-shakers like Xero Slingsby and John Lurie.

Alongside musical merry-go-rounds, Herman’s other enterprises keep the jazz scene fertile and vibrant. Since 2006, Herman has hosted weekly Kring-sessions on Wednesday at arts & science venue De Kring near Amsterdam’s Leidseplein – a meeting point for up-and-coming talent and well-established names. In addition, he hosts his own radio show Get In! for Dutch station NPO Soul & Jazz, where he invites a wide range of musical guests. Since its inception in 2019, Get In! has become a vital platform for blossoming jazz artists internationally.

In 2024, Herman was awarded the Edison Jazz Oeuvre Prijs for his total body of work. But no rest for the wicked, as the curse continues with new rousing ventures, one in particular where Herman once again found himself adrift in the land of the Rising Sun.
So stay tuned…