Benjamin Herman

Herman comes from a family of six children. His twin brother Jonathan works as a director. His mother is Dutch; his father was a rabbi and worked as a psychotherapist. At the age of eight, Herman and his family moved to the Netherlands.

At the age of twelve, Herman started playing the saxophone. At thirteen, he was already performing on the professional club circuit. Within a few years, Benjamin had played all over the world with various groups and initiated his own projects. When he was seventeen, Herman played for the first time at the North Sea Jazz Festival.[1]

Herman studied at the Hilversum Conservatory, from which he graduated cum laude in 1991. In that year, he was the only European selected for the Thelonious Monk Competition.[2] He also studied at the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

In 1993, Herman founded New Cool Collective, an eight-piece band with influences from jazz, soul and Latin music.[3] He composes the music for this band, as well as the bigger New Cool Collective Big Band, and is also the leader of both. In 2011, New Cool Collective released its twelfth album, Eighteen.

Benjamin Herman has played with musicians such as Jan Akkerman, Candy Dulfer, Wouter Hamel, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Jesse van Ruller, Typhoon, Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, Misha Mengelberg, Pete Philly & Perquisite, Hans Teeuwen, C-Mon & Kypski, Chef'Special, Dr. John, Michel Camilo, Paul Weller, and Han Bennink.[4]

In 2012, Herman released the album Deal, which is also the soundtrack of Eddy Terstalls move of the same name. Herman recorded this album with Jesse van Ruller, Joost Kroon, Manuel Hugas, Carlo de Wijs and The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Benjamin Herman released a new solo album, Café Solo, in July 2013, featuring Ernst Glerum (bass) and Joost Patocka (drums).

His album Live (release date 24 January 2014) has Herman and his quartet playing on the occasion of De Kring’s 90th anniversary. His previous album Café Solo already included two tracks of those recordings and now, due to popular demand, the other tracks have been made available. Live also features two tracks from a concert Herman gave with his trio in November 2013 during Jazzfest at Amsterdam’s Studio/K.

Besides his usual rhythm section of Ernst Glerum and Joost Patočka, Herman is accompanied by the Spanish pianist Miguel Rodríguez, who has been the house pianist for De Kring sessions for the last 1.5 years.

Benjamin Herman’s 16th solo album Trouble is released on 11 July 2014. In a new departure for the multi-talented saxophonist, his latest solo disc is a joint project with 24-year-old Daniel von Piekartz.

For the first time in his career, Herman has devoted an entire album to vocal numbers. “Daniel originally planned to play on two tracks. He is incredibly musical and ideas just kept flowing... we didn’t want it to stop,” Herman recalls. Von Piekartz plays and sings on eight of the ten tracks.

Albums and singles released by Benjamin Herman. "Artist" denotes with whom or in which formation Benjamin Herman released the album or single.

• 1991 – Wessel Ilcken Prijs
• 2000 – Edison Award with New Cool Collective, best jazz album (BIG)
• 2001 – Heineken Crossover Award with New Cool Collective
• 2001 – De Gouden Notekraker with New Cool Collective
• 2005 – Edison Award best jazz album (Heterogeneity)[5]
• 2005 – Feel Good Jazz Award
• 2006 – VPRO/Boy Edgar Prijs[6]
• 2008 – Equire Magazine Best Dressed Man 2008[7]
• 2008 – Edison Award best jazz album (Campert, de Tijd Duurt Eén Mens Lang)[5]
• 2017 – Edison Award with New Cool Collective, best world music album (‘'New Cool Collective Big Band featuring Thierno Koite'’)