THE REST IS NOISE X SITP

@ MUZIEKGEBOUW KLEINE ZAAL | TICKETS € 15,-

With spring in full bloom, Amsterdam’s organizations The Rest is Noise, which champions forward-thinking and outspoken music nights, and Space is the Place, acclaimed for its focus on catalyzing and nurturing the free improvisation scene, collaborate for the first time on this night that fuses their respective and overlapping visions. While the former focuses more on avant-garde electronic music and the latter more on jazz and contemporary music, they similarly strive for experimentation and boundary-pushing sound in their programming. Both local initiatives often organize in this building of Muziekgebouw and BIMHUIS and have a devoted love for the city in which they reside.

On the bill tonight: guitarist and singer Ahmed Ag Kaedy with drummer and percussionist Will Guthrie, vocalist and cellist Sanem Kalfa with cellist Lucija Gregov, and saxophonist and composer Sakina Abdou.

AHMED AG KAEDY / WILL GUTHRIE

Tuareg musician Ahmed Ag Kaedy and Australian drummer Will Guthrie join forces tonight. This February, they are releasing Tidawt, their first collaborative tape, recorded in Umeå last year. The silencing guitar- and vocal-led sounds of Ag Kaedy, combined with the thrilling drum play of Guthrie, create an interplay where their diverse musical languages connect seamlessly.

Ahmed Ag Kaedy is a Malian guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and the frontman of Amanar de Kidal. Rooted in the tradition of Tishoumaren (desert blues), his music carries the stories of the Tuareg people—songs of exile, resilience, and a fading way of life. His stripped-down guitar work and unembellished voice give his songs a stark, intimate power. Forced to leave Kidal due to political unrest, his album Akaline Kidal reflects on the loss and longing for his homeland, capturing both its hardships and its enduring spirit.

Will Guthrie is an Australian drummer and percussionist working across jazz, traditional, and experimental music. He plays solo with drums, percussion, amplification, and electronics and leads the hybrid percussion/gamelan group Ensemble Nist-Nah. His music shifts between high-velocity rhythmic workouts and deep, resonant gong explorations, drawing from free jazz, Javanese gamelan, and South Indian Carnatic traditions. With over 50 releases on labels like Black Truffle, Editions Mego, and his own Antboy Music, he has built a reputation for his raw physicality, rhythmic complexity, and unrelenting energy.

https://willguthrie.bandcamp.com/album/tidawt

SANEM KALFA / LUCIJA GREGOV
Sanem Kalfa and Lucija Gregov play together as a duo–both wizards of the cello–in a delicate yet fractious chamber music conversation. Their dynamic ways of acoustic experimentation complement each other in an emotive, swaying vortex. Sanem’s haunting voice adds a third layer as she plays her cello, and Lucija fills the notes with wondrous manipulations on the same instrument.

Sanem Kalfa is a Turkish-born vocalist, cellist, and improviser based in Amsterdam. With a piercing voice that moves effortlessly between delicate and raw, she blends jazz, electronics, and Turkish folk traditions into deeply expressive performances. A recent Artist in Focus at North Sea Round Town and winner of the Shure Montreux Jazz Vocal Competition, she has released several albums – including Nehir, DANCE, and Black Sea Songs – and leads Televizyon, a project launched under the production wing of Space is the Place.

Lucija Gregov, a Croatian-born cellist, double bassist, and sound artist, is known for her raw, rapid playing and punk-influenced approach to contemporary jazz and the avant-garde. As a member of the Hydra Ensemble, she blends classical, electroacoustic, and experimental sounds, incorporating analogue synthesizers and field recordings to create new sonic landscapes. Other recent works, such as Knurl, a self-designed instrument-interface, reflect her forward-thinking vision, which often integrates interdisciplinary and community-oriented methods.

SAKINA ABDOU
Sakina Abdou plays solo tonight, showcasing her note-sweeping sax play, whose style brings imagery of notes dancing and darting through thin air. She is a French saxophonist and composer known for a bold, expressive approach to contemporary and improvised music. Her 2022 solo album Goodbye Ground (Relative Pitch Records) pushes the boundaries of jazz, free improvisation, and experimental sound, carving a distinct voice that blends intensity with subtlety. As a member of the Muzzix collective, she collaborates with artists like Eve Risser and is part of Camel Zekri’s Hamma Quintet. Of Franco-Nigerian origin, Sakina also works with drummers from Niger and flutist Yacouba Moumouni, supported by CNCM Athénor.

https://relativepitchrecords.bandcamp.com/album/goodbye-ground