Biography
AM.OK is the Amsterdams Modern Orkest, a reflection of the current Dutch sound of jazz and beyond. Their music fits no label; chunky grooves, captivating ballads, wild soloing and spacey soundscapes - everything is possible. Led by composer Tijn Wybenga, the orchestra was founded with the goal of combining the most exciting new players, and blend their signature sounds into something new. Music that reflects a generation and transcends the jazz idiom.
The widely acclaimed debut album Brainteaser (2021) was awarded ‘Best International Debut Album’ by the German Jazz Prize 2022. It contains five pieces that Wybenga and his thirteen-member orchestra recorded in the influential Amsterdam jazz venue Bimhuis. On the album, he worked with improvising musicians like Alistair Payne, Kika Sprangers, George Dumitriu and Jamie Peet. Wybenga re-used small, improvised pieces as the basis for newfound grooves, beats and melodies.
AM.OK does what it was set out to do; lead the way. Wybenga dares to be unapologetic, yet playful, with the orchestra showing great promise both as a group as with its members.
Band Members
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Tijn Wybenga
Artistic Director, conductor
Bands: AM.OK, Aurelio Project, Vuma Levin
Hobbies: Surfing, Mountain sports
Instagram: @y.benga
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Alistair Payne
Trumpet
Bands: Perselí, ELKA, Sun-Mi Hong Quintet, Guy Salamon Group, Teis Semey Quintet, Fuensanta Ensamble Grande, Motet
Hobbies: Riding bikes, walking, swimming, sitting on an outdoor terrace drinking pints
Instagram: @_alipayne
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Kika Sprangers
Saxophone
Bands: Kika Sprangers Quintet
Hobbies: Hiking in the mountains, playing guitar, reading
Instagram: @kikasprangers
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Nabou Claerhout
Trombone
Bands: N∆BOU, TROMBONE ENSEMBLE, Les Sheikhs Shikhats & B’net Chaabi, The Free Orleans Rebel Band, David Bowden International Quartet, Nabou Claerhout & Lynn Cassiers
Hobbies: Cooking, holidays!
Instagram: @nabouclaerhout
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Federico Calcagno
Bass Clarinet
Bands: Fade In, Liquid Identities, Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians, Piranha, Aviv Noam 4tet, Adrian Moncada 6et, Coal Harbour, Jort Terwijn Önder, Francesca Remigi Archipélagos
Hobbies: Playing basketball, sharing ideas and enthusiams
Instagram: @thebishop_federicocalcagno
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Pablo Rodriguez
Violin
Bands: Humble & Pablo, North Sea String Quartet, Edson Ensemble
Hobbies: Hiking, Cooking Spanish tortilla, Aviation, Adventure computer games
Instagram: @pablorodriguezmusic
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Yanna Pelser
Viola
Bands: Albertine, A Singing Violist, North Sea String Quartet, Blink Quartet, Ikarai, Coal Harbour, Ponga, Sef & El Salvador Ensemble
Hobbies: Composing music, reading books on the (potential of the) human body, hiking in nature, eating food someone else cooked
Instagram: @yannapelser & @albertinesongs
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George Dumitriu
Viola
Bands: George Dumitriu Hazard Ensemble, DUMitRIO, Sanem Kalfa & George Dumitriu, North Sea String Quartet, Blink Quartet, Eve Risser l’Ensemble Ensemble, Kaja Draksler Octet
Hobbies: Outdoor swimming, playing flute, listening to music
Instagram: @george_dumitriu_
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Pau Sola
Cello
Bands: Trio Sonce, Ell sol & strings, Blink Quartet, BuddyBodies, Changing Landscapes
Hobbies: Hiking, film editing
Instagram: @paucello
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Teis Semey
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Alessandro Fongaro
Double bass / Electric bass
Bands: Pietre, CLOD!, Sun-Mi Hong Quintet, Nicolò Ricci’s Ambergris, Allison Philips Trio, Robert Koemans Trio
Hobbies: Boxing and photography
Instagram: @alessandro_fongaro
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Jamie Peet
Drums
Bands: Niels Broos & Jamie Peet, Tin Men & the Telephone
Hobbies: Nature, Music, Drums, Astronomy, Science and Politics
Instagram: @jamespete
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Aleksander Sever
Vibraphone
Bands: ETNA, Federico Calcagno Octet, Hristo Goleminov Ground Wire, Ketija Ringa Karahona Quintet
Hobbies: Basketball, reading, art, cooking
Instagram: @aleksander_sever