Eric Vloeimans

Kinan Azmeh. Photo by Martina Novak.

Jeroen van Vliet. Photo by Rens Horn.

Eric Vloeimans (center), Holland Baroque, and their Edison.

Two recent releases from Dutch trumpeter Eric Vloeimans—Levanter, featuring the trio of Vloeimans, Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, and Dutch pianist Jeroen van Vliet; and Carrousel, Vloeimans’ second collaboration with Holland Baroque, following their Old, New & Blue release—offer soul-satisfying music that’s hard to classify. The compositions and performances on these two distinctly different albums combine, in different ratios, elements of rock, jazz, world, baroque, and even a touch of musette into singular Vloeimansesque amalgams. Continue reading →