‘A sense of dedication and connection is essential to me’
Interview with Jort Terwijn
On 27 November, Amsterdam-based Bass Ensemble ÖNDER will play BIMHUIS to celebrate the release of Vol. 3, which is not surprisingly their third album. One week before, ÖNDER will perform at Wroclaw’s prestigious Jazztopad festival in Poland, as part of a small Better Live tour. InJazz asked band leader, composer and double bassist Jort Terwijn some questions about his new work and his Polish connections.
For those who have not heard ÖNDER before, can you explain your thoughts behind the line-up?
‘ÖNDER is a bass ensemble consisting of double bass, bass guitar, two bass clarinets and drums. I started this band out of an urge to write my own music – and to put together an unconventional line-up of instruments. I’ve never been someone who likes to go for the easy road, so playing with four bass players sounded like a challenge worth exploring.’
‘The unusual line-up creates a sense of openness that excites me. The music doesn’t resemble anything familiar, so you listen with a kind of non-judgmental curiosity, and that’s a very liberating space to make music in.’
Better Live: ÖNDER in Poland
21 November – Bydgoszcz, Mózg
Mózg is one of Poland’s leading venues for experimental and improvised music. It is supported by a close-knit community and has a loyal audience that appreciates authenticity and artistic daring.
22 & 23 November – Wroclaw, Jazztopad Festival
Jazztopad is Poland’s most important jazz festival and enjoys international repute. ÖNDER plays an evening concert on 22 November and will take part in special living room concerts: small-scale improvised sessions in Wroclaw living rooms, together with Polish musicians.
Better Live is a European project led by eleven renowned venues from the world of jazz and improvised music. Over the past two years, the project has researched how concerts and tours can be organised in a sustainable manner with low CO2 emissions.
With ÖNDER you step back from double bass duties, even play Portuguese guitar, which is not what I would expect from one of the more visible double bassists in The Netherlands. Do you need this distance, now and then?
‘Yes, absolutely. I love being involved in many projects, and that’s something I always want to keep doing. But I also really value having my own musical space – a project where I can take a broader perspective. In ÖNDER, I see myself more as an organizer, producer, composer, and arranger rather than purely a double bassist. It feels like having my own laboratory. I try to create a playground for myself and the band members, a place to write, experiment, and produce together. I like it when everyone is part of the full creative process – it builds a sense of dedication and connection that’s essential to me.’
“I like it when everyone is part of the full creative process –
it builds a sense of dedication and connection that’s essential to me.”
‘It’s great to see that after 5 years of playing together, we are still going strong. We’ve already released two albums, and last summer we recorded Vol. 3, which I think is the most collaborative project I’ve ever been part of. It will be released at the BIMHUIS on November 27th.’
Besides releasing ÖNDER’s third album in November, you will also be travelling to Poland for a number of concerts supported by Better Live. Can you give me some insights in how Poland became an important country for you?
‘My relationship with Poland has grown steadily stronger over the past few years. By participating in several workshops organized by the International Jazz Platform in Łódź, I’ve connected with various musicians from the Polish jazz scene. And thanks to the support of Platform director Karolina Juzwa, who also organized Better Live and who is the president of the Europe Jazz Network, I’ve been able to establish valuable collaborations with renowned Polish musicians, including Marcel Baliński and Joanna Duda.’
‘I’ve been able to establish valuable collaborations with renowned Polish musicians, including Marcel Balinski and Joanna Duda. A long-term collaboration has since developed with the latter. And thanks to Better Live’s invitation, we’ll now have the chance to perform two very exciting concerts in Poland.’
What makes International Jazz Platform special, in your view? Can you share some experiences you had when you were there?
‘My first experience was in 2021, when the pandemic was still going on and playing live music together almost felt utopian. When I arrived at the workshop, I suddenly found myself surrounded by like-minded young musicians from across Europe, in this beautiful venue in the middle of Poland. I was lucky to be coached by the great Petter Eldh – one of my biggest inspirations as both a person and musician. It felt like a dream to be there.’
‘Besides the workshop, it’s also a festival that focuses on experimental jazz from all over Europe. It opened my ears to a lot of new music. I kept returning in the following years, and eventually got the chance to perform at the festival — first with ÖNDER, and last summer with the Marcel Baliński Trio.’
I saw you play that set with pianist Marcel Baliński and drummer Tymek Papior in Łódź, it was quite exciting. And after Morris Kliphuis, I believe you are the second Dutchman working with Joanna Duda on a regular basis. Is it possible to compare feeling and approach of the bands in the Netherlands with those in Poland?
‘For me, architecture is a perfect metaphor for understanding the differences. In Poland, you see many concrete apartment blocks – grotesque and rough. I think that environment is reflected in the music. In contemporary Polish jazz, I hear a lot of raw, beat-driven music, electronics, and free improvisation, which reminds me of that architecture. At the same time, you can still hear the influence of classical giants like Frédéric Chopin. That combination creates a very eclectic and distinctive musical language.’
Back in the Netherlands, your steady jobs as a sideman are the Quintets of Sam Newbould and Teis Semey. Any updates there? Anything else going on?
‘There’s a lot of new music coming! Both Sam and Teis are unstoppable – incredible musicians and composers who seem to write as fast as the wind. So next year you can expect plenty of new releases. We all studied around the same time at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and it’s great to see that everyone is still pushing things forward. There’s a strong sense of community among us, and I think that spirit really fuels the music.’
Text by Mark van Schaick
Photo credits: Govert Driessen, Mark van Schaick, Jort Terwijn