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about iman spaargaren

About Iman Spaargaren

Iman is a multi-reed player, arranger and composer. He has a distinctive way of playing and a very personal tone on his horn.

Over the past years Iman has been working with a wide variety of music groups such as Undercurrent Trio & Suzan Veneman, In Essence: Spaargaren & Bjornild, Undercurrent Orchestra, EyeMan All Stars, Pelican Three, StarkLinnemann Quartet, Voice of Monk, Iman Spaargaren Quartet & Septet, Captain Hook, European Union Quartet  and Thelonious4. He was actively involved in composing and playing the music for the theatre productions De Zomer In Mij and My Father Held A Gun.

In 2025 the album In Essence with double bass player Peter Bjornild was released on Sound Liaison. The year 2023 saw the birth of the album Cloud Song by Undercurrent Trio & Suzan Veneman on Zennez Records and Sound Liaison.
In 2022 Iman received a composition assignment to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the BIMpro (Beroepsvereniging voor Improviserende musici) workers union for jazz and improvised music.
In 2021 Everything Seems Different was released on Zennez Records with Undercurrent Orchestra featuring Annie Tangberg, Gerard Kleijn, Joost Buis, Guillermo Celano and Marcos Baggiani. In 2019 High Tide Low Tide was released on Flea Boy Records with Undercurrent Trio featuring Guillermo Celano and Marcos Baggiani. In past years other albums have been released featuring Iman's playing: Pictures at an Exhibition and Transcending Chopin II & III (o.a.) with StarkLinnemann Quartet, In The Moment with Iman Spaargaren Undercurrent on EyemanRecords and Thelonious4 meets Tony Miceli on DotTime Records.

"Iman Spaargaren is a saxophonist with a melodic approach. When digging deeper in his thematic material, Iman looks for a marriage between story telling and exploring" (Hessel Fluitman, Jazzflits)

"Iman Spaargaren Quartet sounds engaging and plays a kinds of different compositions" (Tim Sprangers, de Volkskrant)

"Spaargaren excels in strong melodies and lyricism" (Jan Jasper Tamboer, Jazzenzo)

"Iman is an important player in the Dutch jazzscene" (Jazzflits)

"After the break the quartet was complete, adding the extremely imaginative playing of saxophonist Iman Spaargaren" (Koen Edeling, Muziekrecensie.nl)

Biography of Iman Spaargaren

"Iman Spaargaren is a saxophonist with a melodic approach. When digging deeper in his thematic material, Iman looks for a marriage between story telling and exploring" (Hessel Fluitman, Jazzflits)

"Iman Spaargaren Quartet sounds engaging and plays a kinds of different compositions" (Tim Sprangers, de Volkskrant)

"Iman's quality and talent are unmistakable there; his melodic and harmonic characteristics are really strong, he is an obvious choice as a Young VIP" (Jan Jasper Tamboer, Jazzenzo.nl)

"Iman Spaargaren sorgt mit seiner Bassklarinette für fantastisch-groteske Sounds und mit seinem Tenor für heisse Exkursionen" (Hans-Jürgen Schaal, High Fidelity)

"Iman Spaargaren spielt sein Tenor Saxofon – nach einer herrlich-entspannten Piano-/Holzblasinstrument-Phase – in der freien Improvisation des Free Jazz. Hochklassig!" (Joachim 'Joe' Brookes, Rocktimes)

"Iman Spaargaren: a busy man, not deprived of outstanding musical qualities, as an instrumentalist as well as a composer" (Jacques Los, Draaiomjeoren)

Flow (Iman Spaargaren Quartet & Septet):
"A melodically and harmonically promising modern jazz album with originals and fine arrangements. Iman's compositions stand for very melodical, light-footed musical lines. Spaargaren solos with great skill: modest and beautifully frased; he lets his emotions run free ... this album transcents mediocracy" (draaiomjeoren.nl).

"On his first solo album Iman Spaargaren emphasizes on contemporary adventure. Flow sounds free and restrained at the same time. Iman Spaargaren Quartet and Septet play eager and energetic, but remain within a melodical spectrum" (Johan Bakker, Nederlands Dagblad).

In 2012 Iman and his Iman Spaargaren Quartet did the prestigious Young VIPs Tour 2012. He released the third album with Thelonious4 featuring Tony Miceli. A series of concerts followed with Thelonious4 in the US and with European Union Quartet in Holland, Belgium and the UK.

October 2011 brought the release of the second album of the European Union Quartet called 'The Dark Peak'. It's on the O.A.P. label and contains a lot of originals of Iman's. Just before that he released the burning live cd 'Live at the Hot House' with Thelonious4. July saw the birth of 'Plunge!', Captain Hook's third cd. And to give the year 2011 a head start Iman put out his first cd with the Iman Spaargaren Quartet called 'Flow'. With Captain Hook he played at the Melkweg and the BIMhuis in Amsterdam and did two radio shows for 'Mijke's Middag' and VPRO's 'JaBoGumbo Show'.

In 2010 Iman worked together with some of the finest musicians in the Netherlands to record his own music on his first cd with his own group; flute player Mark Lotz, trumpet player Gerard Kleijn, guitarist Marzio Scholten and saxophonist Marike van Dijk joined in to play beautiful arrangements made by Iman.

In 2008, 2009 and 2010 he has been on tour with the European Union Quartet to Belgium, Holland, UK and Ireland. He had radio and television appearances with the New Generation Big Band, such as a live-tv show 'Een van de Acht' on NL 2 hosted by Hennie Huisman. With Muistot Orchestra he toured in Finland in 2009, one of the concerts was at Juttutupa, Helsinki. In 2009 Iman worked with Captain Hook in 'Vrije Geluiden', VPRO Television and at the BIMhuis. The group had a showcase on the Day of Dutch Jazz (Dag van de Nederlandse Jazz). The track 'Bonus' has been released on the compilation-cd of the winter-edition (2009 - 2010) of the magazine 'Jazzism'. In 2008 Iman produced the first album of Thelonious4 and the debut album of the European Union Quartet which has 4 of Iman's compositions on it. In 2007 Captain Hook released the second album f.ex and played a series of concerts with the modern classical saxophone quartet Esquire. Three arrangements by Iman were played. 2007 gave Iman also the opportunity to play at the Erasmus Jazzprijs competition. With the New Generation Bigband he played live in 'De Wereld Draait Door'. In 2006 Iman performed with Captain Hook at the prestigious Dutch Jazzcompetition.

Iman studied with Benjamin Herman, Simon Rigter and Ben van den Dungen at the Rotterdam Conservatoir (Codarts) for his Masters degree. He studied for his bachelors at the Conservatoir of Amsterdam with Ferdinand Povel and Dick Oatts.