Lennart Heyndels is a young Belgian bassist and composer active in a wide variety of contexts, from jazz/improvisation (Ben Sluijs Quartet, Kaja Draksler Octet) to playful pop (Hi Hawaii) and solo experiments with modular synths. His latest project "Codex Au Soleil" revolves around the convergence of the late-medieval "Ars subtilior" and contemporary music.
The 'Ars subtilior' is a musical movement that emerged at the end of the 14th century where experimentation was central. This precursor of the Renaissance does not yet contain the same harmonic complexity of the European concert music afterwards, but the music has something pure, stripped of unnecessary ornament. In terms of rhythm, on the other hand, the "Ars subtilior" composers went very far.
Although originally written for voices, the quartet's three melodic instruments will transform the ancient music into a purely instrumental world, focusing on the harmonies between them. The addition of drums will emphasize the rhythmic complexity of the original music.
'Codex au Soleil' blends the constancy of traditional compositions with improvisation, taking them out of their original form and reconstructing them back together in new ways. A brilliant quartet with a program for connoisseurs!
tickets: € 16/14/10/3
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Lennart Heyndels contrabas | Joachim Badenhorst klarinet, basklarinet | George Dumitriu altviool | Stijn Cools drums
Romanian multi-instrumentalist George Dumitriu is a versatile musician and composer active in the fields of jazz, improvisation, contemporary music and music theater. Based in Amsterdam, he is building a network of like-minded musicians, including Kaja Draksler, Joachim Badenhorst, Ab Baars, Eve Risser and many others. Lennart Heyndels, like Dumitriu a member of the Kaja Draksler Octet, also immediately involved Dumitriu in his Codex Au Soleil.
Earlier this year, Dumitriu released the stunning Monk on Viola (Evil Rabbit Records), an approach to the oeuvre of jazz icon Thelonious Monk, but on his familiar viola and with an unusual outlook: not in the classical jazz manner, but from a distinctly contemporary perspective. Dumitriu explores how to preserve the familiarity of Monk compositions by completely dismantling them and reassembling them as playfully as virtuosically.
The result is a feast of wonder and recognition, a search for the secret code of all those compositions and one of the most inspired Monk projects in a long time.
