Born in London and raised in The Netherlands, Benjamin Herman has been a familiar face in jazz music for over three decades. Herman’s instantly recognisable alt sax sound drifts dirt roads like the finest Sprinter Trueno and pierces underbellies like a pugilist’s body shot. Herman can bop, he can boogie, he can bellow… and has spent his time on earth thus far non-conforming to the beaten paths.

Over his career, Herman has encountered an enviable list of collaborators such as Paul Weller, John Cooper Clarke, Benny Sings, Misha Mengelberg, Tony Allen, Otomo Yoshihide, Candy Dulfer, Han Bennink and Idris Muhammad. His beloved breakthrough band New Cool Collective attracted philanderers like moths to flame in their finest threads, whereas more idiosyncratic projects like Bughouse channel a primal punk spirit, loosening neckties in a hot fever. In 2024, Herman was awarded the Edison Jazz Oeuvre Prijs for his total body of work.