Kasper Rietkerk
The Happy Worrier
by Howard Lawes
The paradoxical title of this new album from Dutch saxophonist Kasper Rietkerk is just one element in the story behind its genesis. Kasper learned to play classical music at a young age but inspired by a new teacher, transferred to jazz in his teens. Having grown up in a small town the final year of his jazz saxophone degree in the city of Utrecht opened his eyes to the opportunities that a city provides, while his time with the Netherlands National Youth Jazz Orchestra introduced him to a host of like minded young people. Keen to broaden his horizons Kasper travelled to London to study for a Masters degreee at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) and while there, Kasper formed a band called the KRSIX and released an album called The Island (2024). He has revelled in the opportunities that the vibrant London jazz scene provides, not least as a member the Emma Rawicz Jazz Orchestra playing gigs at Ronnie Scott’s and Swanage Jazz Festival.
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Kasper has graduated from the Royal Academy of Music and is the winner of the first UK Brubeck Living Legacy Award; his album, The Happy Worrier (2025) is the result.
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Here is an introduction to the album:
​The Brubeck Living Legacy in America.
In 2019, the Dave Brubeck family founded the Brubeck Living Legacy with the mission to promote awareness, interest and the understanding of jazz and its role in American and international culture and to build on Dave and Iola Brubeck’s lifelong dedication to music, creativity and the promotion of social justice through performance, education and outreach. Brubeck Living Legacy honours Dave and Iola’s belief in our shared humanity and the power of music to connect people from all walks of life.
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​A particular example of its work is the Brubeck Jazz Summit that takes place each summer at Lake Tahoe and provides outstanding young musicians with an inclusive and nurturing learning environment, where students and faculty build a strong community of lifelong connections. Students are challenged to grow musically and personally and are provided with an educational experience designed to inspire and equip them in their journey as the next generation of creative leaders in jazz.
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​The Brubeck Living Legacy in the UK.
In the UK the Brubeck Living Legacy Prize will be awarded every other year to a young musician who demonstrates excellence in both performance and composition, selected from the jazz student body at the Royal Academy of Music in their final two years of study, as well as those in the first year following graduation. Via Zoom Darius Brubeck described how the prize, which was proposed originally by the late Director of the Ubuntu Music Group, Martin Hummel, is awarded.
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The prize includes funding and support for the release of the prize winner’s proposed recording on a record label, which would have been Martin Hummel’s Ubuntu Music record label. Following the tragic death of Martin Hummel the album has been self-released. Eligible musicians submit an online application for consideration, which is then reviewed by a panel of industry-related judges. For the first year, the judges were composer/arranger/pianist and President of Brubeck Living Legacy, Darius Brubeck; Royal Academy of Music Professor & Head of Jazz Programmes, Nick Smart; jazz vocalist, recording artist and co-founder of ECN Music, Claire Martin (OBE), and founder/director of Ubuntu Music, Martin Hummel.
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Darius emphasises that this award addresses that point in a young musician’s career when their academic education has been completed and they endeavour to become successful, professional artists. It focusses on the process of converting a studio performance into a saleable product and provides help with production, packaging, warehousing, promotion and touring.
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There are no hard and fast rules, but the recipient of the award needs to demonstrate qualities that they are likely to advance their career in music. These include quality of composition and performance, feasibility of the project, new ideas and in the case of a band, good leadership skills. The winner of the first award, presented in 2024, was recent RAM graduate, Kasper Rietkerk and the album, The Happy Worrier (2025).
The Happy Worrier.
Talking via Zoom, Kasper Rietkerk explained the reason for the title and how he won the first Brubeck Living Legacy Prize awarded in the UK. Arriving in London from The Netherlands, Kasper threw himself wholeheartedly into the thriving jazz scene. He was quite taken aback by the wealth of opportunity, with so many excellent musicians, so much inspiration and the motivation to work and succeed. Being the gregarious type, he made many friends and joined in with all sorts of music sessions, eventually forming his own band called the KRSIX and releasing an album in 2024 called The Island. The island in this case was the British Isles and he visited many parts of it as well as Europe on an album tour.
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Here is avideo introduction to The Island album:
Kasper used his previous experience of recording and video in The Netherlands to create his application for the prize, which took the form a video presentation, explaining his backgrond and the proposed project, interspersed with short video clips of previous performances. He decided that rather than create a follow-on album for KRSIX so soon after the first one he would form a new band with a different style. He also took on board the educational ambition of the Brubeck charity and included musicians with varied ages and experience who could learn from each other.
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Kasper composed the music for the album last year and pays tribute to Pete Churchill who was his Composition and Arranging tutor at RAM. The band has Kasper on alto and soprano saxophone, John Parricelli on acoustic and electric guitar, Tom Herbert on electric and double bass, Jonah Evans on drums and Rebecka Edlund on vocals (two tracks). Both John and Tom are on the teaching staff at RAM, but Kasper met them while playing in Mark Lockheart’s big band. Jonah is a fellow RAM graduate while Kasper met Rebecka at a Vortex Whirlpool session where students from different London conservatoires are encouraged to play music together.
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Kasper has called the album The Happy Worrier, paraphrasing the title of a popular song (The Happy Wanderer). He doesn’t believe that he worries more than other people, but he is aware of the pressures on young people in modern society which he believes, despite some opinions to the contrary, are just as great as ever. He tends to compose his music without thinking of the title until the composition is finished and then comes up with something, often whimsical.
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While the album title is paradoxical, the music itself, as epitomised by Lost in Glow, is an antidote to feelings of anxiety, and is lyrical and soothing. The intriguingly titled Missing Out On The Important Stuff has beautiful, reflective solos from saxophone and guitar that highlight a disadvantage of living in a foreign country and missing out on family events back home. The track Nimbus does not refer to Harry Potter’s broomstick but to that feeling of muddle or confusion when one attempts too much simultaneously. There are two versions of a song called Scream for Silence, both featuring the expressive vocals of Rebecka Edlund. One takes the form of a folk song accompanied by guitar with the saxophone backing in harmony, while in the other Rebecka uses improvised vocal devices to provide a rather more unsettling effect, but with the saxophone continuing to provide a soothing influence. I Don’t Remember Asking Your Opinion highlights a feature of social media whereby almost everyone seems to feel it necessary to post a comment and includes some infectious rhythms from drummer Jonah Evans. Overall, this is a very enjoyable album that provides the incentive to relax, take a little time to reflect and feel better for it.
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Listen to Missing Out On The Important Stuff:
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The album is dedicated to the memory of Martin Hummel, an exceptional man who was in many ways an atypical record company executive. As with many of the young musicians on his roster, Martin took a personal interest in Kasper and his involvement in the Brubeck Living Legacy Prize. Martin allowed Kasper complete freedom with the creative side of the project but reassured him that the process of bringing the album to market would be covered by Ubuntu Music. Sadly, the album cannot be released on Ubuntu Music but is being distributed by ECN Music. Kasper also pays tribute to Emma Perry of ECN Music whose determination and hard work has seen the project through to completion.
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The album was launched at Pizza Express on 23 June 2025, introduced by Darius Brubeck, and was a huge success. The occasion itself was a fine tribute to Martin Hummel and was exactly as he would have wanted it to be.
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The Happy Worrier album was released on the 27th June - there are more details here and Kasper Rietkerk's website is here.
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