Oxymore Quintet started at the end of 2006. The line up is nothing less than a dream: saxophonist Guillaume Orti, pianist Harmen Fraanje and drummer Chander Sardjoe
are pushing the limits of the music with their unique and personal
styles. The group narrows the gap between composition and improvisation
whether they play a Radiohead arrangement or one of their own
compositions. The unifying factor is groove and a sincere joy of
playing. Oxymore Quintet has found a sound where abstractions become
clear and experiment feels good.
Violinist Oene van Geel and bassist Mark Haanstra played
together for many years in various bands. The duo created chamber music
with a groove in Mosaic, was inspired by India in Bhedam and turned to
alternative pop music in the band Voer. Their musical ideas blended
together to form such a unique sound that it was time to form their own
band in which their insights would play a central role. The group became
the Oxymore Quintet and the dream musicians of van Geel and Haanstra
are saxophonist Guillaume Orti, pianist Harmen Fraanje and drummer
Chander Sardjoe. The band was formed at the end of 2006 and after an
intense preparatory period, they recently released their first album. In
both their own compositions and arrangements of the music of Radiohead,
for example, the Oxymore Quintet tries to bridge the gap between
improvisation and composition. The factor that binds the band is the
pure pleasure the musicians have in making music.