Alex Van Heerden

Alex van Heerden was a South African trumpeter, vocalist, accordionist, producer, composer, historian and explorer. Van Heerden worked together with composer and guitarist Derek Gripper, to recreate the rural music of the Western Cape within an acoustic setting. Together they created a style of music dubbed avant-goema, using string quartet, guitar, trumpet, vocals and accordion to open up new musical spaces within the musical landscapes of vastrap, langarm, boeremusiek, goema, and contemporary minimalism, jazz and improvisation.