paul van der feen

Paul van der Feen is commonly recognized as one of Holland’s top young saxophonists.Paul practically grew up playing with his brothers Mark,Matthew and Clemens with whom he formed the award winning Feenbrothers Quartet. Having switched from clarinet to altosax Paul began his studying at age 16 at the Amsterdam Conservatory and concluded his education with Bob Mintzer in New York. During these years Paul explored several musical styles like hiphop/funk, classical and world music but was drawn (back) into jazz by rediscovering Coltrane and Shorter. Subsequently he started writing for the Paul van der Feen Quartet.In 2004 Paul was prize winner at the world renowned White Foundation World Sax Competition in London, during which he played with Geri Allen, Rob Hurst and Eric Harland. Paul encountered a host of jazzmusicians since and was featured by the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw.Paul is currently an often featured member of the Metropole Orchestra which is conducted by Vince Mendoza and played, in this role alongside John Scofield, Bob Brookmeyer, Maria Schneider, Terrence Blanchard and Chaka Khan, among others. As a bandleader Paul recorded three cd..s and as a sideman he appears on many cd’s and dvd..s including ones with Elvis Costello, Paula Morelenbaum and Trijntje Oosterhuis.Since 2007 Paul is writing for and playing with his new quartet called The Chosen, which is a group that fuses African rhythm with European harmony and accoustic sound with electric sounds, inspired by Weather Report.