bodies / Ben Wendel's BaRcoDe

BaRcoDe - chamber music, minimal and jazz

With his warm sound and inimitable improvisations, Canadian saxophonist Ben Wendel has emerged as one of the most influential voices in contemporary jazz – and now also has a GRAMMY nomination under his belt. Building on the success of Kneebody, he has developed a versatile solo career: from much sought-after sideman for Prince and Snoop Dogg to an established figure on the international jazz scene. With BaRcoDe, he unveils a daring new electro-acoustic world in which saxophone and mallets challenge, embrace and transform each other.

For this project, he surrounded himself with four of today's most innovative vibraphonists and percussionists.
With marimba, vibraphones, percussion, glockenspiel and electronics, the quintet seeks — and finds — the intersection between chamber music, minimal music and jazz.

Ben Wendel (saxophone, EFX), Joel Ross (vibraphone, marimba, percussion), Simon Moullier (vibraphone, chromatic balafon, EFX), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone, marimba, EFX), Juan Diego Villalobos (vibraphone, electric marimba, percussion, EFX)

For fans of Kneebody, Sō Percussion, Steve Lehman, Jason Moran

bodies - alternative pop, electronic, free jazz

bodies creates a sensory soundscape in which pulsating grooves and intimate improvisations merge. With saxophone, synths and influences from free jazz, live electronics and alternative pop, the Brussels-based group builds layered soundscapes that feel as physical as they are vulnerable. Their music is a shared experience: intense, connecting and carried by a raw but warm energy.

The album quiero amor (Igloo Records, 23.01.2026) forms the emotional heart of this project: an intimate but shared journey that transforms anger into joy. Born out of a deep emotional and political awakening, the album is both a manifesto against gender-based violence and a call for empathy, vulnerability and joyful resistance. In a world increasingly characterised by division, bodies emphasises the power of tenderness and connection as a driver for collective transformation.

Alejandra Borzyk (sax), Camille Alban Spreng (keys), Elie Gouleme (drums), Mateusz Malcharek (bass)

For fans of Alabaster DePlume, Nubya Garcia, Otis Sandsjö, Small Medium Large, Flying Lotus, Kamasi Washington