Duo Baars-Henneman
Duo Baars-Henneman is the long-standing duo of Dutch musicians Ab Baars (tenor sax, clarinet, shakuhachi, noh-kan) and Ig Henneman (viola). Formed in 1999 following an invitation to play at Rome’s Festival Controindicazioni, the duo has since toured extensively across Europe, North America, Japan, and Brazil. In addition to performing, the duo co-founded the Wig Foundation in 1993, a label and organization that has released over 30 albums and organized more than 700 concerts.
Their music is a distinctive blend of free improvisation and minimalist composition, characterized by what critics describe as an “anti-rhetorical” and “aesthetically austere” approach typical of the Dutch creative music scene. The duo balances spacious, meditative exchanges with more rhythmic interplay, often drawing inspiration from literature, poetry, and painting—with sources ranging from William Blake to Emily Dickinson. Recorded at venues such as Amsterdam’s Bimhuis, key releases include Stof (2006/2007), Autumn Songs (2013), Canzoni Di Primavera (2018), and the 25th-anniversary CD: 150 @ Wels Unlimited 2025.
Trandans
Trandans
“The brilliance of this trio is proved most powerful when we start to think about all the other moments they could have uttered a note and most certainly would have changed the direction of the music… from beginning to end this is marvellous, improvised music. A music so marvellous that we tend to forget that it did not exist before Ab Baars, Dave Burrell and Ig Henneman stepped on the stage of the Bimhuis that one night in September. And which after that intriguing concert did exist only as a memory. Until now. (Mischa Andriessen)”
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Ab Baars – tenorsax/clarinet/shakuhachi
Ig Henneman – viola
Dave Burrell – piano
all compositions Ab Baars Ig Henneman Dave Burrell
Baars Henneman BUMA STEMRA Burrell BMI, Lanikai Sounds Publ. Co.
live recording September 24 2016
Bimhuis Amsterdam
recording Micha de Kanter / Mideka Music Recording
mixing & editing Micha de Kanter Ab Baars Ig Henneman
design Francesca Patella
photos Geert Vandepoele (live) Monika Larsson (portrait)
produced by Ig Henneman
with support of Huub van Riel, Monika Larsson, Marinus Oostenbrink and Stichting Wig
Sliptong
Sliptong
“And Mengelberg, the patient, pensive wit, picks his moments to enter, ruminates on the voicings of his chords so that each conveys a different shade of feeling, adding a touch of jazz here or late Romanticism there. Quite often, he is the tonal anchor of the improvisations, while Henneman and Baars daub color and asymmetric lines around him. The contrasts are stark, even surreal at times, but there’s always a sense that they are walking together arm in arm through this unusual musical landscape.” -Ed Hazell
Canzoni Di Primavera
Canzoni Di Primavera
Even in free improvisation mode, this duo is in sync. That, and the unique melodicism arising from their duets, are what makes Autumn Songs an artistic success, an example of musical perfection.” -Francois Couture
“The music balances breathy notes against woody tones, as the pair recites their musical wordless poetry.” -Mark Corroto
“All pieces consist of composed themes that form the outset for improvisations. There is nothing exceptional in this by itself, but the way both musicians expand on the theme, and the way the other musician then takes this expansion as a basis for further exploration, is exceptional. Even more so, because they are not afraid to use dissonance as a key ingredient of their sound.” -Stef Gijssels
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AB BAARS tenorsax/clarinet/shakuhachi
IG HENNEMAN viola
Recorded December 12 2017 at Studio Helmbreker Haarlem
Release date March 14, 2018
Recording Micha de Kanter/Mideka Music Recording
mixing & editing Micha de Kanter Ab Baars Ig Henneman
design Francesca Patella
photo’s Ig Henneman (cover) and Fabio Ciminiera (live at Giulianova (IT)
produced by Ig Henneman
Autumn Songs
Autumn Songs
“…I dare you to draw a clear line between what is written and what is not. Even in free improvisation mode, this duo is in sync. That, and the unique melodicism arising from their duets, are what makes Autumn Songs an artistic success, an example of musical perfection.” -Francois Couture Listening Diary monsieurdelire.com 2013
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Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Shakuhachi – Ab Baars
Viola – Ig Henneman
Recorded on November 30, 2012 at Bimhuis Amsterdam.
150 @ Wels Unlimited 2025
150 @ Wels Unlimited 2025
My impressions from another great and inspiring edition of the festival “music unlimited” wels:
[…] Then the 150-year-old duo of Dutch violist Ig Henneman (80) and tenor sax player, clarinetist, and shakuhachi player Ab Baars (70) decided at the last minute to play a free improvised set (and not the program Autumn Songs, Wig, 2013). It was an inspired, deeply emotional conversation between soul mates who know and love each other and always find the innocent joy and inspiration in playing together. It sounded as if all notes landed in their perfect place and none were redundant, and articulated with captivating elegance, sheer beauty, and inspired grace. […]
-Eyal Hareuveni, Free Jazz Collective blog, November 2025
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This release is part of the celebration Shapes Lines and Layers – Ig Henneman Ab Baars 150
Dokzaal Amsterdam 28/12/2025
AB BAARS: teno rsax, clarinet, shakuhachi
IG HENNEMAN: viola
All improvisations by Ab Baars & Ig Henneman (buma stemra)
Live recording November 9 2025 at Schloss Puchberg, Festival Music Unlimited 39 Wels, Austria by Philipp Feichtinger
Mixing editing Micha de Kanter/Mideka Music Recording, Ab Baars
Mastering Micha de Kanter
Photography Žiga Koritnik (cover), Peter Gannushkin (liner photos)
Design Francesca Patella
Produced by Ig Henneman 2025
With support of Paul del Maschio & Peggy Walker, het Cultuurfonds, Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, the Wig Foundation and donations.