Unlike most jazz drummers — even those that lead their own band — Han Bennink is a force unto himself, playing in his own inimitable way regardless of who's alongside him.
Audiences in Tokyo will get to experience this for themselves next month when he plays as part of four different units during a three-night residency at Nishi-Azabu's SuperDeluxe venue.
Watching the founding member of the all- improvisational music collective Instant Composers Pool behind the kit is akin to opening a heavily shaken can of soda. Making music (or often just plain noise) with regular instruments and, indeed, any existing object on stage, the 65-year-old Dutchman's free-jazz performances create a sonic experience that fizzes with excitement and has few formal predecessors, unless you count street performers who like to bash buckets.