He has often demonstrated this in recent years, both as a soloist in the Re:Freshed Orchestra and in other projects. No wonder that Hiwat is this year the face of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam (including a photo shoot on the roof of the building!), and last year he was artist in residence at De Doelen. Hiwat is now also an appreciated guest on the New York jazz and soul scene, and he’s currently working with D’Angelo’s band The Vanguard on his first solo album.

With his Quintet he wants to combine the traditions of the jazz and string quartet in order to breathe new life into both. The band mixes inspiration from traditional Surinamese and African music with hip-hop in the tradition of J Dilla and classical music with the harmonic innovation of standard-bearers of jazz like John Coltrane. Hiwat also draws inspiration from world stories, news flashes that deserve more attention, and black pages in the history books that are often overlooked.