Dutch-raised saxophonist Kasper Rietkerk has been based in London since 2023. His album ‘the island’ will be released on 24 June on the Dutch ZenneZ label. The album features his original compositions arranged for sextet, along with a string quartet, and includes guest appearances by Emma Rawicz, Anatole Muster, and Immy Churchill. Interview/feature by Rebecka Edlund
UK Jazz News: ’the island’….what island?
Kasper Rietkerk: To me, living in the UK really feels like being on an island. Although it is a very big island, it still feels more isolated than where I am from. When I am going back to the Netherlands, I can’t just drive across the borders like in central Europe, I have to get on a boat, train or plane, go above or underneath the sea and it always feels like a big journey. I moved to the UK in 2021 at a time when the country had just opened up after a lockdown, but the Netherlands was closed down, which made it hard to go back to see my family and friends. I think the pandemic left many of us feeling a bit like we were stuck on a desolated island.
UKJN: How did that feeling of isolation feed into your creative process?
KR: I wrote all the tunes on the album during my first year living here and I wanted the music to capture my time in the UK. When I first moved to London I wasn’t as busy doing gigs, so I spent more time writing music. Many of the tunes I wrote whilst travelling to, from or around the city. That initial feeling of isolation turned out to be a good thing for me.
UKJN: Has your time in the UK been captured in the music? Can you give an example?
KR: The first tune that I wrote for the album was ’Dark Side’. I wrote it in February 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, as a portrait of the unsettling contrasts that occurred; our life here continuing as normal whilst the life of others is being completely destroyed in a country so near to us. Being away from my family during that time left me feeling a sort of loneliness and fear.
In the summer of 2022 – my first summer spent in London – all the parks were dry and brown, killed by the heat wave. Frustrated that not enough is being done to save the environment (although we do know of many solutions), I wrote ’Baiji’ almost like a protest and it got its name from the first dolphin species driven to extinction by human beings. I guess my anger gave a rocky edginess to the tune.
During my master studies in jazz at The Royal Academy I had lessons with Pete Churchill. We worked on the arrangements of the tunes together and he was a great support for me. At one of our lessons Pete explained the difficulties of trying to write a strong arrangement using weak melodic material as a starting point, saying ’you can’t polish a turd but you can roll it in glitter’– meaning: write a good melody! ’Roll it in Glitter’ began with just a melody and I guess I wanted to polish it…
UKJN: What is the story behind your tune ’Ship of Fools’?
KR: ’Ship of Fools’ is an allegory that Plato referred to in one of his Republic books; the idea of a dysfunctional crew steering their ship in the wrong direction symbolising the failing government of a political system. Since I wanted the music on the album to capture my existence here, I had to have a track on there about Brexit because it effects my life in so many ways.
Do you think you’ll remain on ”the island” in the future?
KR: I have extended my visa since graduating. All the people that I’ve met here have been nothing but welcoming and open. I feel very grateful to be part of the scene here, to collaborate with great musicians such as Jean Toussaint and Mark Lockheart and be curating the ’Jazz at the Parakeet’ residency. I am constantly aware of the amount of time I have left here in the UK, but I am hopeful that things will work out and I’m trying to keep an open mind. I would love to explore more of Europe as well.
UKJN: Can you tell us about the sonic components of your music?
KR: I wanted to create a sound world combining acoustic jazz with indie rock. The rhythm section and the two horns – including me on alto saxophone – are joined by a string quartet, sometimes providing tension, sometimes release. Inspired by Cannonball Adderley, Kenny Garrett, Brian Blade and Radiohead, the album features Anatole Muster on accordion (Roll it in Glitter) and Emma Rawicz on tenor saxophone (Ship of Fools) as well as Immy Churchill’s voice glueing it all together.
UKJN: How would you describe the emotional space created by your music?
KR: To me, this music feels like travelling, going towards or away from the island. Listening to music transforms your surroundings and I would like this music to make a long journey a bit more comfortable. Maybe the listener will be sat on the noisy tube or underwater on the Eurostar, perhaps they’ll be transported to the green hills of the British countryside and by the end of the last track, they might find out what ’Happened in Eridge’…
Personnel
KRSIX: Kasper Rietkerk – alto sax and flute (track 7)
Max McLeish – trombone
Alex Lockheart – guitar
Benji Bown – piano
Toby Yapp – double bass
Jonah Evans – drums
QUARTET: Ezo Sarici, Emily Harrison violins , Charlie Howells – viola , Cubby Howard – cello
GUESTS: Immy Churchill – vocals (3, 4, 7 & 8)
Anatole Muster – accordion (3)
Emma Rawicz – tenor sax (7)
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