Born in London and raised in the Netherlands, saxophonist Benjamin Herman has been one of the most productive and versatile jazz musicians of his generation for over 35 years. He received his first saxophone at age 13 and hasn’t looked back since: by the age of 17 he was already performing at the North Sea Jazz Festival. His discography now spans over 50 albums as a solo artist and as frontman of his groove-oriented ensemble New Cool Collective.
His body of work covers a remarkably wide spectrum, from idiosyncratic jazz projects like Bughouse and The Tokyo Sessions, to cinematic orchestral productions (Deal, Project S) and understated renditions of classic evergreens (Trouble, Café Solo). Along the way, he has collaborated with the likes of Paul Weller, John Cooper Clarke, Tony Allen, Otomo Yoshihide, Benny Sings, Candy Dulfer, Han Bennink and Idris Muhammad – just to name a few. In 2024, Herman was awarded the Edison Jazz Oeuvre Prijs (Dutch Grammy) for his total body of work
Beyond performing, Herman is a podcast- and radio host for the Dutch national broadcasting organization NPO, and has hosted the legendary ‘Kring Sessions’ in Amsterdam since 2006. He has been presented with numerous awards, but is secretly most proud of being voted ‘Best Dressed Dutchman’ by Esquire Magazine… twice.
Profile image by Lenny Oosterwijk