Areia/Micheal Murray & Evan van der Feen

Chamber jazz ensemble plays music from their album which they are recording in Splendor

Intricate and colorful compositions that flow from soothing textures to playful melodies bring the listener along a magical musical journey.

Through the chamber jazz-like setting of Areia, a warm and intimate sound arises. Jazz, classical music, free improvisation and different kinds of folk music all meet together to give the music of Areia its depth and expression.

In December 2021 Areia recorded their debut record which was released the year after. The record shows a warm, colorful and fragile sound of the band, throughout compositions that go on a journey through daring and exciting musical landscapes. A unique mix between improvisation and composition, based on researching Anthony Braxton, gives the music of Areia a beautiful form of sound story.

Since their last record, Areia has slowly been growing as a band. Performances and new compositions continue to challenge the band to explore new musical possibilities. In 2024 a set of music was composed regarding the theme of grief. Something that all humans will face in their life, grief shows us what we care about, who we are and how resilient we can be.

This set of music was developed further and is being recorded during the day of the concert, and the day after. Listeners can hear a band deep into the process of creating their new album, as this concert sits right in the middle of it.

Areia:
Siebren Smink - guitar
Antonio Moreno - trumpet
Hristo Goleminov - saxophone
Adrián Moncada - piano

Micheal Murray (b. 1997) is a contemporary-jazz composer and saxophonist from Donegal (IRL) currently based in Amsterdam. His latest album (Rounded Nature) sits in the space between an earthed, tight knit approach to sound and something fragile and serene, in the air but not light. Stemming from inspirations of cyclic findings, the music has been described by AllAboutJazz as something of 'Wayne Shorter's sounds of surprise'. Growing up on the rural coast of Donegal among sprawling mountains and forest provides both a conscious and unconscious inspiration that embeds itself deep in the core of his music.

His current award winning project, Micheal Murray's Colourfield (Keep an Eye Records 2024), features some of the most exciting voices in the Netherlands in Omer Govreen (Double Bass), Joy Shechter (Piano) and Wouter Kuhne (Drums). In Splendor he presents brand new duo works exploring the sound of piano and saxophone with Evan van der Feen.

Micheal Murray Duet:
Micheal Murray - saxophone
Evan van der Feen - piano