Description

Urban Chaos: Inspired by the climate of contemporary creative music, Nick has blended a series of compositions that is predicated on a frenzy of rhythmic and melodic questions. The players carry out the vision of this ensemble with clever intent, and meaningful dialogue.  This ensemble created there debut album recording in October 2023 in Wisselord studios which featured critically acclaimed saxophonist Noah Preminger (which is set to be released on October 4th with ZenneZ Records); alongside their Canada wide tour which debuts shows in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Gatineau, Guelph, Toronto, Montreal, with masterclasses at the University of Toronto, Capilano University and Long and Mcquade.

Nick Adema leads an Amsterdam group that challenges the notions of our urban cityscape, yearning for a pragmatic future. Urban chaos is a facade of Metropolis life that strips away our perception of reality. Original in nature, the compositions offer moments of consistent dissonance, uniform chaos and melodic clarity.

Urban Chaos

Nick Adema - Trombone/Effects/Compositions

Joy Shechter - Piano/Keyboard

Azubike Onwuka - Electric Bass

Chen Har Even - Drumset

2024 Canadian Tour

Nick Adema is a Canadian trombonist (MA)/composer currently based in Amsterdam Nick is a Rath Trombones artist.

Exploring the plurality of sonic environments is Nick Adema’s forte. Using the modest nature of the slide to express his musical vigour, Nick is one of the most versatile trombonists coming out of Canada. Hailing from the nation's capital Ottawa, Nick quickly came onto the scene as a curious mind who embraced spontaneity and playfulness in his music. Nick is a musical wanderer, bringing his music on a 2024 January Canadian Tour featuring Noah Preminger to eight of Canada’s largest cities. Whilst in the Netherlands, Nick has been able to perform alongside a number of musicians including Ben van Gelder, and Reinier Baas in his Adema Adds concert series, and on several occasions with Tineke Postma. In addition to touring Canada, Nick Adema’s Urban Chaos has a Spring/Summer 2024 tour that visits Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Zeeland, Berlin, and Cologne. On October 4th Nick will release his upcoming album Urban Chaos with a Dutch Tour featuring Jasper Blom. Nick is also a sideman in the Netherlands, touring the country's largest jazz venues such as North Sea Jazz, Bimhuis, Lanteren Venster, Den Paard and others. Whilst in his studies in Amsterdam and in Toronto, Nick has been the recipient of a number of awards during his studies in Amsterdam and Toronto, such as the Keep an Eye International Jazz Competition Best CvA Soloist, the Holland Scholarship, the Albert and Wilhelmine Renewable Scholarship.

Joy Shechter

Joy Shechter (96’) is a pianist and composer based in Amsterdam. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Film Composing at Berklee College of Music (19’) (summa cumme laude), where he attended with a full scholarship, and completed his master’s in Jazz Performance at the Conservatorium Van Amsterdam (23’), under the instruction of Harmen Fraanje. In 2023 he received the second prize at the International Keep An Eye Award with the Marios Charalampous Quartet.

Joy has played in several countries over 3 continents, including the USA, Canada, Portugal, Greece, Israel and the Netherlands. He played with musicians such as Jasper Blom, Yoran Vroom and Gilad Hazan.

Alongside his career as a performer, Joy is also involved in musically-oriented social outreach projects, such as the Bikurim School of the Art for which he is a founding member, and the El Sistema- inspired project Sulamot - Music for Social Change.

Azubike Onwuka

Born in 1995, Azubike grew up in the colourful and multi-cultural neighbourhood of Amsterdam Southeast. From an early age he learned to listen to a many kinds of music. From James Brown & John Coltrane to J.S Bach, Jimi Hendrix and many others. While studying at the Conservatory of Amsterdam this further developed into a taste for new and unknown genres. This lead to him studying and frequently performing Jazz, Baroque, Reggae, House, Fusion, Arabic, Afrobeat and other types of music. After graduating from the Jazz department he further developed him self as a musician in the Dutch music scene. He has toured in Europe, the Middle-East and Canada with numerous international artists. Azubike’s approach to music is marked by a the ability to make connections between seemingly distant parts of the music spectrum as well as a never ending curiosity to know ‘what’s on the other side?’.

Chen Har-Even

Chen Har-Even (1995) is an Israeli drummer and improviser based in Amsterdam.

He has been fascinated by music from an early age, picking up the drumsticks for the first time at the age of nine. Chen is is an active figure in the Amsterdam jazz scene, as well as the indie and pop scenes of Tel-Aviv. He is regularly playing in different venues and festivals in Europe, both as a sideman and as a bandleader.