What the press has to say

Concert review (Bimhuis) in dailypaper Trouw by Mischa Andriessen.

Review in NRC (daily paper) by Kester Freriks.

Concertreview (concert Bimhuis) in Jazzhalo Belgium by Robin Arends

birds-eyes-view-ad-colen-quintet-jazzhalo

Another great review in the jazzmagazine Jazzism.

“.. This appraoch resulted in an enjoyable jazzrecord where inventiveness, jumpiness and sometimes absurdity come together. Absolute beautiful is the interactive sound of the soprano saxophone and the cello. If you pay attention, you can hear the birds sing in your living-room.

Great review in Hollands main daily newspaper De Volkskrant.3/8/2018

‘…everytime you listen to this record you can hear new things to enjoy”. VK

“Ad Colen makes jazz on the the wick strokes of birds”. Jazznu.com

Recensie van Rinus van der Heijden (8/8/2018)

Nice Review of the showcase concert during the InJazzfestival on june28th 2018 in Jazzenzo. Written by Cyriel Pluimakers.

‘..a disappointing concert that was quickly forgotten by the swirling performance of the Utrecht based saxophoneplayer Ad Colen. He gave a concert full of inspiration and enthousiasm. The powerful rythmsection with fenderrhodesplayer Mike Roelofs, bassist Dion Nijland and drummer Yonga Sun left the kantine walhalla stunned and full of admiration.’

Weser Kurier (D) A nice review of the concert the Ad Colen Quartet gave on january 17th in Syke(D) READ

Rheinische Post (D) biy Doris Schlemermeyer. The leader and Gé Bijvoet, partner at the piano , from the beginning showed their wide spectrum of music with rhythmical nuances and interesting compositions…” Rheinische Post (D) by Bert Keim.
Rheinische Post review concert Kleve

Dagblad De Limburge ‘the art of omitting’. An article by journalist Paul van der Steen.
LEES HIER

Cadence Jazzmagazine (US) by Jerome Wilson anual edition decembre 2013
“…Colen really stretches out beautifully here. All the members of Colen’s quar- tet, Bijvoet, Mahieu and Sun, do their part to make this group effective and make its overall sound strong….” READ MORE

Jazzenzo by Rinus van der Heijden june 27 2013
Oh dear, do you think when you hear the first notes of the opening piece ‘Squirl’: another John Coltrane imitator. But you got rid of that thought quickly if you listen a little longer: Ad Colen is a beautiful blazer, quirky, imaginative, powerful, melodic and leading.
READ MORE

WartaJazz(Indonesia) by Thomas Y. Anggoro
With his 5th album ‘Spark’ Ad Colen gives a new fresh sound and touch to the somehow traditional jazz quartet.
A Cd with interesting compositions and catchy melodies. READ MORE

Jazzmozaiek (Belgium) Spark really sparks!
READ MORE

Jazzism XXXX by Coen de Jonge edition march/april 2013
Finally there’s an album with really wilful compositions that still sound obvious. As if the melodies were in your head already for years. LEES MEER

Draai om je oren (jazzwebsite) february 14th 2013 by Jacques Los
and his great skills of composing make this group one of the most constant en fresh contemporary jazzformations.
READ MORE

Jazzflits february 11th by Arne Coillie
‘Spark’ fails nowhere. Like an onion the music reveals itself. The compositions are very different and individually very varied. without being artificaially constructed. READ MORE

De Limburger XXXX february 7th 2013 by Paul van der Steen
Colens sound and compositions are gaining more and more expressiveness with each CD he’s makes. He sounds fresh, to the point and relaxed. In the meanwhile he creates nice surprising hooks and barbs so the music never gets boring. LEES MEER

Volkskrant XXXX january 9 2013 by Tim Spranger
Also on this album the music is nononsense, straightforward without too much decorations. The harmonies alway move in a nice way asnd the cheerful grooves make you wanna jump from your chair> READ MORE

Cadence (USA) augugust 2010 by David Franklin

….Whatever the ambiance, the music is well-conceived and inter- esting and the improvisations top quality. Colen plays swinging tenor in a somewhat Rollinsesque manner (his soprano is generally reserved for the more pensive tracks) and his colleagues operate in a mode and at a level consistent with his own…READ MORE

Jazzreview.com (USA) Mai 2010 by Randall Parrish

Free is the title of the fourth release on the Sweet Briar Music label for the Ad Colen Quartet. Covering a wide-ranging scope of tuneful sound-vistas, this newly restructured Dutch Jazz Quartet put forward a collection of compositions imaginatively full of richness and depth. The title Free is appropriate. The Ad Colen Quartet are unobstructed by any restrictive limits, and stretch out to meet whatever creative artistic ideas best suit their jazzy endeavors.Free is sophisticated and full of powerfully involving pieces which exhibit a sense of unity and, in my mind, classify as works of art. The Netherlands has reason to be proud of groups such as The Ad Colen Quartet. They strive as “keepers of the flame” to make sure that the Jazz tradition is kept alive throughout the globe. .….READ MORE

. Frank van Herk – De Volkskrant 6-09
“As soon as you hear the opening number, the beautiful sound of Colen’s tenor sax touches you: an old-fashioned belly-sound, but flexible, in the tradition of Rollins, but with a personal touch”

Jazzenzo 10 juli 2010 by Mischa Andriessen Review of concerts NorthSea Jazzfestival 2010
……The concert of the Ad Colen Quartet was much more swinging. This group has produced a very strong cd and they interpreted the compositions very strong live…READ MORE

Jazzpodium (Germany) March 2010 by Markus Koehler

…….. Ad Colen is a saxophonist living in Utrecht, and is one of the best examples that at least in the Netherlands, jazz is as alive and well as it always has been, and has no worries about new strength to drive it forward. The Ad Colen Quartet is not in Europe to merely faithfully reinterpret American jazz greats, be they alive or dead, or even to assist them if the need arises…. they have broken free.
This ensemble also delivers more than just time-keeping and harmony for the soloist – they dialogue with the soloist, rein him in or let him fly. They turn the group on its head and you have to ask “Who’s the leader here?” This leads to an electrifying album of a soloist and an ensemble with genuine personality…..READ MORE

Jazz 2010 No. 1 XXXXX by Angelique van Os:
……Free is an album that exudes class, both in relation to the collective performance and the individual improvisations. It has a contemporary freshness to it and completely lives up to expectations in terms of musical artistry. Colen certainly belongs to the top and there is a strong unison between him and his band……

www.draaiomjeoren.com Josien Lucassen, 27.12.09:
Ad Colen is a band leader / saxophonist of many qualities, endowed with technical expertise and emphatic ability. He composes, leads the band and encourages all of its members to contribute at an individual level, and this is a determiner of the quartet’s success.
Colen leads and provides accompaniment to the band in a very open and respectful way. He makes a strong contribution and makes sure the timing is exactly right in the dominant themes. Sometimes his sax sounds abrasive, while at other times he produces a powerful open sound with a lot of air. In this way he helps his quartet to achieve the right ambiance at all times.

Ton Ouwehand – Jazzism 9-09

What the media had to say about ‘Free’:
“This is highly structured, tastefully construed jazz music. A lot of musicians will be able to enjoy Colen’s compositions. Jazzbands looking for a fresh repertoire might want to explore Colen’s oeuvre”.

Guuz Hoogaerts – Revu 6-09
“The tone is light, sometimes dreamlike, with rich detail and solid compositions. This is how beautiful jazz can be. The cover photo shows Colen laughing out loud and in my opinion he has every reason to do so”.

Mischa Andriessen – Jazzenzo 9-09
“…This is an album produced by driven musicians who at first glance appear to move in the field of mainstream jazz, but who are actually making a type of music that is all their own”.

Hans Invernizzi – Jazzflits 10-09
“There is no shying away from melodious and harmonious tour de force, but above all else this album is characterized by people playing together in a very groovy way…”