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Han Bennink at play, photograph by Volkan Terzioglu

April Fool's Day Improvised Percussion with Han Bennink
April 1 , 2006

Press release:
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art will present improviser and drummer Han Bennink in a solo performance on Saturday April 1st at 5:00 pm at Intuit, 756 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago. Admission will be $10.

A native of the Netherlands, percussionist Han Bennink has been prominent in jazz and improvised music scenes internationally for 45 years. Throughout, Bennink has been a tireless collaborator, playing and recording with jazz greats from Dexter Gordon to Eric Dolphy and a huge array of improvisers from Peter Brötzmann to Eugene Chadbourne. With pianist Misha Mengelberg, he co-founded the Instant Composers Pool (ICP) in 1967. ICP, a group devoted to improvised music and on-stage theatrical antics, will be performing at the Hothouse and the Chicago Cultural Center this same weekend.

A self-taught player, Bennink does not know how to read music and detests the very idea of learning improvised music in an academic setting. He often coaxes his preposterous music from incidental percussive devices like chairs, towels, and cardboard boxes, making everyday objects into instruments of marvelous music. His performances blur the line between improvised music and absurdist theater. Eugene Chadbourne has commented, “It's a real gift to be able to create comedy. Han Bennink is a genius. One of my favorite things is that something very serious and very funny is going on at the same time.” Also a notable visual artist whose work is represented by Gallery Espouse in Amsterdam, Bennink constructs sculptures from found objects. His artwork as well as his music can be explored online: www.hanbennink.com

Join us for the ideal April Fool’s Day musical experience with Han Bennink.

Han Bennink and the ICP Orchestra wish to thank the following organizations for their support: Consulates General of The Netherlands in New York and Chicago, Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C., Fonds voor de Amateurkunst en Podiumkunsten, Gaudeamus, Dutch Jazz Connection, and Donemus. The ICP Orchestra receives structural subsidy from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Welfare.