Tobias Klein – alto saxophone
Bart Maris – trumpet
John Dikeman – tenor saxophone
Jasper Stadhouders – guitar
Gonçalo Almeida – bass
Philipp Moser – drums

Named after an Australian species of grass, important ingredient of the coastal dunes eco-system, Spinifex may at first sound like a combination of free improv with punk, hardcore grunge and other typically Western contemporary sub-genres. However, beneath the surface the listener will discover ancient cyclical rhythms of Turkish and Indian origin. Since 2005, the bandleader has been alto saxophonist and composer Tobias Klein, a German living in Amsterdam. So far, they have released six albums in different line-ups – the current sextet has recorded the last two LPs, and a new project, Spinifex Sings is in progress, with singers from India and Iceland.

The current members of the band are jazz avant-garde veterans. The Belgrade audience got to know the Dutchman Jasper Stadhuders and the American John Dikeman well in the explosive Cactus Truck trio. Jasper is also a member of the international quartets Lily’s Deja Vu and Made To Break, while John also played in a trio with William Parker and Hamid Drake, as well as in Universal Indians with Joe McPhee. German Philipp Moser is known for working with the Dutch metal band Cilice, and Portuguese Gonçalo Almeida has a Lama trio with Susana Santos Silva. Finally, Flemish Bart Maris impressed us two years ago at the Festival when he squeezed his trumpet from the back row at the Flat Earth Society concert.

www.spinifexmusic.nl