Artist(s)

Under the Surface is a new Dutch band formed by Dutch drummer Joost Lijbaart (known for his work with Yuri Honing), guitarist Bram Stadhouders (known from his work with the Netherlands chamber choir, Jim Black, Sidsel Endersen) and vocalist Sanne Rambags (winner conservatory talent award 2017). The trio met in 2015 as an initiative of the Dutch foundation Beaux Jazz. This foundation offers young talents artistic support. For this first edition of ‘Generation Next’, the young singer Sanne Rambags come up with an adventurous group together with guitarist Bram Stadhouders and drummer Joost Lijbaart.

Their debut album was released in March 2017 on the Dutch label Challenge Records and got great reviews. The universal language in their music brought the group to major festivals in Mali, Mexico, China, Norway, India and the Netherlands.

Drummer Joost Lijbaart (Amsterdam 1967) belongs to the top of the Dutch jazz scene, Bram Stadhouders (Tilburg 1987) is one of the most promising new young musicians in the European improvisation circuit and he received many awards and Sanne Rambags (Tilburg 1994) is one of the few singers of her generation who is able to improvise in a very open way, sometimes with self-written texts and poems, sometimes by positioning herself completely between the musicians. This gives her voice an instrumental function which is beautifully in line with the open group sound and the playing of Lijbaart and Stadhouders. Under the Surface is a unique trio of three musicians from different generations who have found each other in a common urge to search for space and silence through improvisation.

Composer(s)

Press

Intriguing, otherworldly improvisations...
Scotsman.com, 19-6-2019

Under The Surface takes the listener on a journey through different stages of "being".
Nederlands Dagblad, 14-6-2019

Audiences across the world have reacted positively to the group’s spontaneous music.
Glasgow We Today, 14-6-2019

JazzAround, 11-6-2019

The interpretations are one hundred percent improvised, but retain an admirable coherence.
Jazz Bulletin, 03-6-2019

Collection of live recordings of new improvisations that are powerful in volume ...
De Volkskrant, 17-5-2019

Carefully chosen live recordings from six concerts in the Netherlands and Europe. They are snapshots that are worth listening to. The music is ethereal and intimate.
Jazzel's Blog, 27-4-2019

Well worth it, so check it out!
Slagwerkkrant, 19-4-2019

Sanne Rambags is one of the most striking vocal talents of contemporary Dutch jazz.
Jazzenzo, 11-4-2019

The music of the band that bears the name of the first album is clearly evolved in two years in a more natural interaction.
Hifi.nl, 10-4-2019

... Lijbaart, Rambags and Stadhouders do indeed create a sound refra-gium that arises out of nowhere and in which every instrumental passage seems to float. ..
Jazzthing 04 05 2019, 25-3-2019

Le Soir, 20-3-2019

An impressive performance on an album that is in any case filled with special moments: indeed the work of a close trinity.
3voor12, 18-3-2019

Whereas the studio album mainly illustrates the modest and architectural side of the trio, the live concerts manage to bring the listener to the edge of their chair after an appropriate build-up, thanks to the enormous range of musical ambiance, guitar lines and soundscapes of Bram, the dynamic, grooving and sometimes also explosive rhythm by Joost and the versatile and impressive voice and presentation of Sanne.
Progjazz, 15-3-2019

Tasteful with jazz mentality
Het Parool, 02-3-2019