Sunflower in Stage 2 at The Stables, Milton Keynes
With his latest release Love Letters, Joost reveals a deeply personal side of his music. After more than 35 years in jazz, improvisation and world music, he felt the need to return to the essence of making music: attention, simplicity and genuine connection.
This search brought him together with singer-songwriter Amelie Spinks and bassist River Adomeit. Playing with these young musicians opened a new sense of freedom and vulnerability in Joost's music. For the first time, he deliberately lets go of much of his virtuosity as a drummer, choosing instead for simple grooves and a warm, open sound.
The songs on Love Letters revolve around care, closeness and the quiet strength of love. In pieces such as If I Was a Woman and Eight Hands on a Black Cat, Joost explores empathy, loss and the human need to truly see one another.
The result may be the most personal work of his career: music without protection, guided by one simple intention — to look at life and the world through the lens of love.
Joost Lijbaart (Amsterdam, 1967)
Joost Lijbaart has enjoyed an international career of more than 35 years as a drummer, bandleader and sideman. His wide-ranging musical interests include jazz, pop, rock, songwriting and traditional music from West Africa, North India and the Middle East. Over the course of his career he has received several distinctions, including a soloist prize awarded to him by drummer Elvin Jones at the North Sea Jazz Festival.
River Adomeit (Connecticut, USA, 1996)
River Adomeit is a songwriter and improviser with deep roots in the American folk and jazz traditions. Originally from the United States and currently based in Amsterdam, River draws on a wide range of influences that he effortlessly weaves into his bold and focused approach to composition and performance.
Amelie Spinks (Kent, UK, 2003)
Raised in a small town in New Zealand, Amelie moved to Amsterdam in 2021 to pursue her passion for jazz and double bass. Now at the beginning of her development as a songwriter, she is embarking on a journey as an indie-folk musician. Inspired by artists such as Adrienne Lenker, Joni Mitchell, and Aldous Harding, Amelie’s songs embody the atmosphere and storytelling tradition of New Zealand folk music.
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