45 years Instant Composers Pool, Boersma

In november the new photo book "45 Years ICP" is published by Challenge Records. For 45 years I closely followed the orchestra. The book gives an overview of the pioneers of the Dutch improvised music from the '60 up till now.

The Dutch pianist Misha Menglegberg said that “improvisation is useless unless it’s conceivable and fun” when he established Instant Composers Pool (ICP) back in 1967 together with drummer Han Bennink and saxophone player Willem Breuker.

Instant Composers Pool (ICP) is a record label and an ensemble which gathers avantgarde artists who share the idea that improvisation is nothing else than instant composing. Today ICP is the oldest record label run by musicians and the ICP Orchestra one of the most active European big orchestras of the last few decades.

A music critic, trying to express a feeling he had at their concert, once wrote that “their music is full of surprises, unexpected inversions, pleasant notes and creative outbursts. No one sounds like them.”

Members of ICP played in Sarajevo during past years. Han Bennink’s first performance in the city was a solo concert in 2005, and in 2008 Misha Mengelberg had a solo performance as well as Han Bennink. The local audience also had the pleasure of listening to Misha Mengelberg Quartet.

ICP Orchestra has been active for 45 years, they released 50 albums and 3 DVDs. They will mark the upcoming anniversary with a special addition a photo book with a rich history of the ensemble seen through the lens of photographer Pieter Boersma.