Video of the Day: Brubeck Living Legacy Prize winner Kasper Rietkerk to release The Happy Worrier

Encouraged by mentor and Royal Academy Professor Nick Smart, saxophonist Kasper Rietkerk applied for – and won – the inaugural Brubeck Living Legacy Prize, an award that supports promising jazz musicians in the early stages of their careers. “This album represents a step in a new direction for me,” Rietkerk explains. “The BLL Prize gave me focus and discipline, and I was able to work with musicians I admire and trust. The Brubeck family’s support – both personally and financially – was invaluable. It allowed me to bring the sound world I imagined to life.” The album gets its official live launch at PizzaExpress Jazz Club, Soho, London on Wednesday 23 June 2025.

Featuring twelve original compositions, The Happy Worrier showcases a stellar ensemble including John Parricelli (guitar), Tom Herbert (double & electric bass), Jonah Evans (drums) and guest vocalist Rebecka Edlund. With a more cinematic atmosphere than Rietkerk’s previous work, the album weaves in folk-inspired melodies and a deep sense of space. The opener, ‘Lost In Glow’, sets the tone with plangent guitar textures and airy saxophone motifs, while ‘The Ceiling’ explores silence and restraint. In contrast, ‘Blueberry Pancake’ grooves with Parricelli’s taut guitar, driving rhythms and Rietkerk’s carefully placed but understatedly powerful blowing. Edlund’s guest appearance on ‘Scream For Silence’ lends the track a limpid, almost sacred tone, while ‘Tea Lights’ and ‘I Don’t Remember Asking Your Opinion’ highlights the band’s improvisational chemistry. “’Tea Lights’ turned out being very different from the way it was composed, and ‘Opinion…’ wasn’t planned – I just turned up with the tune and we played it without any idea about how it would work out. But both turned out well I think.”

The Happy Worrier is dedicated to the memory of Martin Hummel, the late founder of Ubuntu Music and a respected figure in UK jazz. “Without Martin, this album would not exist,” says Rietkerk. “His encouragement meant the world, and I hope he would have been proud of what we’ve created.” 

Founded in 2019 by the family of Dave Brubeck, the Brubeck Living Legacy champions the global influence of jazz and its role in culture and civil rights. The prize recognises a young artist who demonstrates excellence in both performance and composition, selected from the student body at the Royal Academy of Music in their final two years of study or within a year of graduation. The 2024 BLL Prize panel comprised Darius Brubeck, Nick Smart (Head of Jazz, Royal Academy of Music), jazz vocalist and ECN Music co-founder Claire Martin OBE and Ubuntu Music founder Martin Hummel.

See the video for 'Lost In Glow' below for tickets to the launch gig visit www.pizzaexpresslive.com and for more info visit kasperrietkerk.nl