There is music in everything and there are stories everywhere. It takes an artist to appreciate those shreds of life and a musician as talented as Diederik Rijpstra, to turn them into bits of musical art, delicious songs and winding soundtracks. To that end, Diederik has stood on a windy street corner in New York for 24 hours, recording the ever changing sounds of the city. He watched a schizophrenic dog chase its own tail, spent a year in Rome and listened carefully to Paul Hindemith for his album ‘Wampum’. In 2013 he has released his latest album ‘The Living City’, which includes the jingle of a cheerful ice-cream truck spinning utterly out of control into a wickedly epic track, Philip Glass related sounds and a singing cat.
Live, Diederik plays the trumpet and performs together with an ever evolving band of friends and challengers. He usually includes samples, his effortless charm and on occasion even an iPhone app or a toy piano. But whatever he does, his curiosity is infectious. Diederik will allow you to experience his stories. Stories that can sound like the Calabrian hills, a drunken Russian restaurant in Brighton Beach, an autumn apartment in Brooklyn or an electrifying night at North Sea Jazz. So go see him play whenever you can, listen to his pieces, buy his albums, and follow his shenanigans on this website. Diederik Rijpstra; always new, always hopeful and if you’re lucky you’ll get to see his disarming smile free of charge.
Diederik played in venues like Carnegie hall, Bimhuis, Concertgebouw and festivals like the North Sea Jazz festival, ELB Jazz festival Hamburg and the Hague Jazz festival and produced workshops/lectures at Conservatorium van Utrecht (Musicians 3.0), Conservatorium van Maastricht (Jazz department), ArtEZ Conservatorium (classical department).
A selection of quotes from the press
Trouw 2013
“His sound is very personal, filled with contrary emotions, beyond virtuosity, very honest and above all, beautiful.”
Volkskrant 2013
“His music contains theatrical elements and is like a personal journey”
Jazzism 2013
“Rijpstra is creating a grand effect with a minimal use of resourses.”
Volkskrant, June 2010
“The debut album of Diederik Rijpstra (1982), studying in New York, is surprising. Not only because of his storytelling, etherical and brave playing, but mostly the unhindered and developing compositions are intriguing.“
NRC Next, July 2010
“Rijpstra’s debut shows more compositional talent than before. His music is intriguing.”
Jazzflits, January 2008
“The in unison playing of Van Der Vlugt (saxophone) and Rijpstra creates a full, melancholic and beautifully balanced sound.”