KEEP AN EYE THE RECORDS IN CONCERT
THE RECORDS
is an initiative of the Keep an Eye Foundation: a prize that allows three promising jazz bands to record their own music. They each receive a fully financed CD production worth € 10.000.
During The Records in Concert, the winners of 2025 will present their brand new album. In addition, the three winners of 2026 will be announced. They were selected by an independent jury from a total of 140 entries from various Dutch Conservatories. They then have another year to realize their album.
For six years now, The Records in Concert has been expanded with The Records on Tour! Through this new collaboration between Keep an Eye and the VNJJ (Vereniging van Nederlandse Jazzpodia en Jazzfestivals), the winners who release their album this year will be invited for a concert at various renowned jazz venues.
ALBUM PRESENTATIONS WINNERS 2025
NOHMI • Ludvig Søndergaard • Flatland Prayer
FINALISTS 2026
Daan Kluwer Quintet • Ruda Krua • Sam Nera • Loek van den Berg Quintet • Alkistis Misouli Sextet TJ’s Pretty People • Igor Ambrosin Trio • Woodcraft
P R IZES
The three bands will each receive an amount of € 10.000 to spend on the production of an album and the associated costs. This includes for example studio costs, cover art and the actual printing of the product. The winners also receive coaching regarding the planning of the project and the promotion of the album.
ALBUM PRESENTATION S WINNERS THE RECORDS 2025
NOHMI – BRIGHTNESS & DARKNESS
Miran Noh (piano) • Sanne Huijbreghts (vibraphone/vocals) • Antonio Moreno (trumpet)
Claudio Jr de Rosa (tenorsax) • Ton Felice (contrabas) • Auke de Vries (drums)
Feeling. You can’t miss it on Brightness & Darkness, NOHMI’s second album. South Korean pianist Miran Noh has gathered the elite of the new jazz generation for this musical adventure. Noh is a remarkable musician, rooted in both classical music and jazz, and it speaks volumes. Together with her bandmates, she moves effortlessly between these worlds. The influences of her great heroes, the French composers Ravel and Debussy, resonate clearly on this album.
Like a true impressionist, Noh plays with light and shadow. The light brings hope and connection, the darkness captures emotion, struggle, and societal layers.
Together they create an interplay that allows you to look both inward and outward, to a world full of imbalance and silent tensions, but also full of beauty.
LUDVIG SØNDERGAARD – CREATURE DANCES
Ketija Ringa (flute) • Micheal Murray (alto saxophone) • Chaerin Im (piano) • Aleksander Sever (vibraphone)
Samuel Kiel (double bass) • Ludvig Søndergaard (drums)
FLATLAND PRAYER – FANATIC
Bandleader Ludvig grew up in the tranquil Danish countryside, but later lived in bustling, hectic cities. He weaves these contrasts into adventurous jazz, in which the six musicians explore the rough edges. They play deliberately raw, disturbing, and sometimes even a little ugly. Dark passages alternate with beautiful, sweet songs. Because: without ugliness, there is no true beauty. For Søndergaard, it is his mission to interpret and translate the world and then show it from a different perspective. With this album, he succeeds brilliantly. This music makes you listen and see differently than you always did. This is jazz that not only sounds, but also speaks.
L ī va Dumpe (voice) • Antonio Moreno (trumpet) • River Adomeit (double bass)
There’s a lot brewing in America, the homeland of bassist River Adomeit. With his band Flatland Prayer, he’s releasing a second album: Fanatic, a diptych. The first part focuses on the storming of the Capitol on January 6th. The second part expresses disappointment with the left-wing reaction to Trump’s re-election. It’s immediately apparent: Adomeit is a born storyteller. He grew up with the quintessential American sounds of jazz, folk, and bluegrass. Musical roots that he expresses in a surprisingly contemporary way. He calls it “contemporary songwriting.”
The trio complements each other effortlessly. Antonio’s trumpet does more than just carry the melody; it also directs the rhythm and groove. River composes, Liva interprets. Together they forge a unique sound that smoothly balances tradition with fresh, contemporary jazz adventures.
JURY
GRAZIELLA HUNSEL RIVERO
Programmer. As founder of ZOJazz Lounge and the upcoming ZOJazz Stage, she’s giving jazz and global music a permanent home in her district. As a cultural entrepreneur, educator, and connector and musician, she’s committed to bringing music, community, and talent development together.
MAURITS PORTIER
Programmer. Maurits is responsible for Muziek Podium Zeeland and is growing into a leading player in the Zeeland music scene. With a strong vision, strategic network, and balance between artistic ambition and sustainability, MPZ is building a Zeeland where music connects, enriches, and inspires.
COEN DE JONGE
Jazzpublicist. Coen wrote extensively for JazzNu and Jazzism and was editor-in-chief of the Jazz Bulletin for 10 years. Here he currently writes about albums, books, and Jazzradio NL.
MAITE HONTELÉ
Trumpet player. Maite is a Dutch trumpeter rooted in Latin American music. After a celebrated salsa career in Colombia and collaborations with icons like Rubén Blades, she returned in 2023 as a flugelhorn player and conductor of the NJJO. She is currently performing with pianist Ramón Valle and presents music on Dutch television.
BEN VAN GELDER
Saxophonist/Composer. Celebrated for his unique sound, lyricism, and visually driven approach to composition. After performing and studying with leading artists in New York such as Ambrose Akinmusire and Lee Konitz, he released several albums and toured extensively across the globe.
PRESENTER
GIOVANCA
Giovanca’s solo debut album ‘Subway Silence’, which she received a Golden Record for, was released in 2008. She won several prizes, including a Buma Zilveren Harp and a 3FM Serious Talent Award. She presented the music program Vrije Geluiden on television until the end of 2019. She was co-host of the talk show OP1 for the EO, the show ‘Amazing Grace’ and this year the program ZING! She also has her own radio show ‘Open House with Giovanca’ on NPORadio5.
FINALISTS THE RECORDS 2026
These seven finalists were chosen out of 140 applications from 8 different Dutch Conservatories! The jury consisted of saxophonist Chris Cheek, vocalist Femke Smit and violinist Jasper Le Clercq.
WOODCRAFT
LOEK VAN DEN BERG QUINTET
DAAN KLUWER QUINTET
Woodcraft is one of the most exciting string ensembles from the Netherlands. This boundary-breaking ensemble works with jazz, groove and improvisation, giving the violin, viola and cello a renewed voice in today’s musical landscape.
The multi-award winning Loek van den Berg Quintet makes storytelling, imaginative jazz music. Loek’s composing style has a lot of influences from different musical cultures, which results in a modern, melodic and melancholic sound.
Dreamy synths, relentless drum ’n’ bass grooves, and cinematic soundscapes: the Daan Kluwer Quintet immerses listeners in a sonic world that feels both futuristic and alarmingly close to home.
IGOR AMBROSIN TRIO
ALKISTIS MISOULI SEXTET
Violin paired with electronic effects and soulful vocals, crazy grooves, improvisation and lush soundscapes; that’s TJ’s Pretty People. The bands’ original repertoire has flavours of modern jazz, 70s jazz fusion, neo soul and a hint of classical music. The main goal of frontwoman Teddy Sicking (aka TJ) is introducing a new violin sound into today’s jazz scene.
The Igor Ambrosin Trio performs original compositions which explore the intersection of rhythm, form and improvisation within groove-based frameworks. Blending acoustic instruments, live electronics and samples, their music shifts between structured precision and on-the-spot creation, developing layered soundscapes that are intimate, complex, and ever-transforming.
Sam Nera blends neo-soul, experimental pop and hypnotising soundscapes. With a background in jazz and a crystalline voice, she explores themes of grief, healing and transformation. Her debut EP Rebirth established her as a promising new voice in the alternative soul and pop scene.
“Vulnerability Portraits,” features pieces composed by Alkitsis, inspired by duo improvisation sessions with each member of the band. These compositions are influenced by a blend of classical music, jazz, and Greek folk traditions. Each piece is based on two shared memories of vulnerability, captured in the improvisational interplay between different duos within the quintet.
With a unique blend of bass clarinet, drums, and saxophone -plus a dynamic array of effect pedals- Ruda Krua creates a captivating sonic experience that traverses the realms of afrobeat, punk, jazz, dub, ambient, and psychedelic rock.
SAM NERA
RUDA KRUA
THESE ALBUMS WERE CREATED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE KEEP AN EYE FOUNDATION
KEEP AN EYE FOUNDATION
The Keep an Eye Foundation is always ‘on the lookout’ for aspiring young talent, such as musicians, artists, photographers, designers, filmmakers, and performing and circus artists.
By providing grants, together with the chance of winning prizes, and by co-organising a number of shows and festivals, we enable the aspiring young talent not just to develop their skills, creating new opportunities, but also to achieve their creative goals.
www.keepaneye.nl
