Sinew

	Ruud van Helvert (Roosendaal, 1964) drums and electronics, studied classical percussion and improvised music at the conservatories in Tilburg and Amsterdam. He was the drummer/percussionist in Flank, the Fuzzband, the EI- ensemble, Big Band New Music, the Palinckx-project "the mummy's revenge", Blast, Triosonic and Dead Parrot.
He was co-founder of and composer for Blast with whom he recorded the CD Puristsirup, and toured through Europe and the USA. Festivals he played on: Hollandse Nieuwe (BIM), Amsterdam 1989; MIMI-festival, Arles France 1990; Internationales Treffen Innovativer Musiker, Aachen Germany 1991; Gruppen festival (The Kitchen), New York USA 1993; Tegentonen festival, Rotterdam 1993 and VPRO's La Stampa (radio) 1992. In 1993 he founded the group SINEW a trio for which he is the main composer and developed a special electro-acoustical setup that enriches the groups sound. In 1998 Sinew did a successful European tour as The Sinew Double Triad, a project group where three guests, Guigou Chenevier, drums, Nick Didkovsky, guitar and Luc Houtkamp, saxophone, mirrored the groups line-up.
Saxophone player Ferdi Schukking (Amsterdam, 1959) studied soprano-saxophone with Adri van Velsen in Maastricht, composition with Misha Mengelberg in Amsterdam and microtonality with Dr. Rudolf Rasch in Utrecht. His classical education resounds in the Delphi saxophone quartet and a duo with pianist Bea de Jong. In his solo-program The Encounter he combines classical and improvised music. In 1989 he won the KRO-saxophone competion improvised music with Ingeborg van Stiphout (piano) and in 1995 he won the Dordtse Jazzprize with his septet Very Shucking.
His Grapjazz ensemble 14cms combines jazz- and popmusic. The programm Melancholy with dancer Truusje Graste tells about the confrontation between (dance) movement and music. He works as a teacher and as a (studio) musician in diverse combinations with artists, dancers and poets. Next to the soprano- he plays tenor-, baritone- and alto-saxophone.
	Andreas Suntrop (Unna, 1966) At the age of seventeen Andreas changed his accordion for a guitar. In 1996 he finished his studies at the Rotterdam conservatory. He is a member of the Belgian jazz-quintet Pentachrome. With the band Geel he won the Middelsee-Jazzcompetition 1998 and a second prize at the jazzcompetion of Gexto 1997 in Spain.
Andreas played at the North-Sea Jazzfestival and at the jazzfestival of Antibes in France. With the Pieter de Mast 4 he recorded the CD Tracing in 1999. Andreas toured the Dutch and Belgian theaters with Lori Spee and the Belgian production Kinderspel and is part of the Rotterdam 2001 project Jazzeral. He also plays in the popgroup Mimezine.

Performances: Thursday, 14 february 2002, USVA, Munnekeholm 10, Groningen

SINEW "Format 4.0"