Yoràn Vroom's Group of Friends + Benjamin Herman

Group Of Friends

Group Of Friends is the band of Yoràn Vroom, composer and drummer from Amsterdam. Vroom has been active in Dutch and European jazz for years and has worked with many international artists.

Group Of Friends is a collective of talented musicians, each with their own speciality, which has made the band's position in the scene unique. With collective improvisation as a common denominator and inspiration from worldwide folklore, the musicians will give their own exciting view on Vroom's repertoire to create a process in which both the musicians and the listeners are involved emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

The band consists of:

• Yoràn Vroom – drums
• Itai Weismann – EWI
• Yariv Vroom – All-round Percussion
• Timothy Banchet – Piano/Keys
• Fantison Araby – Mandinka Percussion
• Nathaniel Klumperbeek – bass

Special guest: Benjamin Herman

Over the past 30 years, saxophonist and musical omnivore Benjamin Herman has been one of the Netherlands' most productive musicians of his generation. After participating in the Thelonious Monk Competition in 1991 and studying with Dick Oatts in New York, Benjamin has released more than 50 albums to date as a solo artist and as the frontman of his groove-oriented ensemble New Cool Collective.

His solo work ranges from postmodern interpretations of classic Dutch avant-garde with drum icon Han Bennink and enfant terrible Misha Mengelberg to collaborations with Dutch poets, pop singers and hip-hop artists.