Adam Holzman

July 7, 2016 - De Twee Spieghels, Leiden (NL)


Steven Wilson and his band were going to perform on the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Netherlands on the 9th of July. His keyboardist/pianist Adam Holzman had arrived a few days earlier and was actually looking to do a solo performance somewhere in the area. A couple of friends made it possible so that he could do a performance
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Adam Holzman
at a jazz café named De Twee Spieghels in Leiden. I've never been to that café before, and have never seen Adam perform solo, so this would be something completely new for me. I did not know what to expect, so I was very curious.
  The café itself is on the small side, and very cosy. And the end of the room there was a special corner with a small stage, where a piano, drum kit and some other instruments were standing. There was quite an audience-a combination of people who were regular visitors of the café and people who came especially for Adam Holzman. Before he started playing an announcer went to the stage and told a little story about Adam's collaborations with several artists (including Miles Davis) and bands. When Sir Holzman finally arrived on stage he got welcomed by a loud applause from the audience.

Adam's performance was mostly based on improvisation. He had a small set list with him where he picked some tracks from, and gave them their own personal twist. He played and improvised on music from several artists like Miles Davis, Radiohead and Steven Wilson.
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Adam Holzman on stage
The piano itself was pretty old and worn out. It was making some squeaks and creaks when Adam played, which gave a special feel to the whole performance. Mister Holzman is very concentrated when he plays, leaning over the piano most of the time. He's very experienced and knows how to improvise, but also stay true to the original music of Steven Wilson. I recognized the Wilson songs, Abandoner and Deform To Form A Star, which gave me goosebumps.

He played for an hour, like he promised. When Adam was finished he took a bow, and the audience responded with cheers and applause. He thanked his friends for making this small performance possible and also thanked the audience, who were completely silent most of the time during his performance. Too bad it was only one hour long, because I really enjoyed his solo performance, so the hour went by fast. I hope he will do more of these solo performances in the Netherlands!

Text and pictures by Iris Hidding (edited by Robert James Pashman)






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