Joost Lijbaart Group of Friends
Biography

Group of Friends is a relatively new project, initiated in 2002 by Joost Lijbaart, one of Holland’s finest drummers in the field of jazz and improvised music. Lijbaart makes his international appearance in 1993 when he wins the Europe Jazz Contest for ‘Best Drummer’. Since then he has broadened his horizons as a musician and as a composer, In 2002 Lijbaart is awarded ‘Best Soloist’ in the Dutch Jazz Competition at the North Sea Jazz Festival. But after having been a highly appreciated sideman with many great jazz artists, Lijbaart decides to form his own band, Group of Friends. In this group the two foremost Dutch saxophone players of today, Benjamin Herman and Yuri Honing, who used to play together with Lijbaart 10 years ago, are reunited. Mats Eilertsen, an absolute bass talent from Norway completes the rhythm section.
With the Group of Friends, Lijbaart goes back to his roots: the late sixties. In this period jazz music was treated with more and more freedom than ever before regarding rhythm and form, while the starting point switched to melody and harmony. This particular development has always been underexposed because many musicians at the time turned to pop- and jazz-rock. Lijbaart and his Friends go back to this musical moment in time and continue from there on. This results in a striking sound and various wonderful new compositions that show many ethnical influences as well. The repertoire also includes pieces by Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, Dave Holland and Tony Williams. 
In 2003 the debut CD entitled Group of Friends is released and many favorable reviews follow. And again the critics are very positive when in 2005 the DVD Live at the North Sea Jazz Festival comes out, presenting their brilliant concert at the 2003 edition of the renowned festival.