The BIMHUIS in Amsterdam

Written by | Concerts, Featured Concerts, Featured Venue

Founded in 1974 the Bimhuis in Amsterdam is one of the major jazz venues in the Netherlands. The original Bimuis was located in a former furniture showroom on the Oude Schans, close to Amsterdam’s Red Light district. The name Bimhuis stems from the name of an organization (or perhaps more accurately described as a lobby group) founded in 1971 known as “Beroepsvereniging voor Improviserende Musici” or BIM.

Founded in 1974 the Bimhuis in Amsterdam is one of the major jazz venues in the Netherlands. The original Bimuis was located in a former furniture showroom on the Oude Schans, close to Amsterdam’s Red Light district. The name Bimhuis stems from the name of an organization (or perhaps more accurately described as a lobby group) founded in 1971 known as “Beroepsvereniging voor Improviserende Musici” or BIM. This organization acquired the original building and converted it into a jazz venue that would become an icon of the Dutch jazz scene.

Apart from providing a venue for bands on the cutting edge of Dutch jazz including among others the Instant Composers Pool and the Willem Breuker Kollektief the Bimhuis became internationally renowned as the premiere Dutch venue for improvised music. Renowned internationl bandleaders as Charles Mingus, Archie Shepp, Cecil Taylor, Pharoah Sanders and Sun Ra considered the Bimhuis one of thier favorite European venues. Over the years the Bimhuis has been host to the crème de la crème of the jazz world as well as being instrumental in supporting local talent, many of which have gone on to achieve international recognition.

In 2005, having outgrown the accommodation on the Oude Schans, The Bimhuis moved to Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ. Today the venue remains the center of the Amsterdam jazz scene presenting around 300 concerts per year featuring both local and international jazz artists. The importance of the Bimhuis within the Dutch and European jazz world was confirmed by the European Union when the venue was granted ongoing funding through a grant from the European Jazz Odyssey Program.

The Bimhuis is located at
Piet Heinkade 3
1019 BR Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Below are some tips for concerts in the Bimhuis in Feb 2013. You can check out the full program on the Bimhuis website:

THU 14 FEB 2013
Ceder Walton Trio
20:30€ 22 / € 18 (CJP, student card, city card)

FRI 15 FEB 2013
Cosmos Pictures: Michael Moore, Oene van Geel, Guus Janssen, Ernst Glerum, Wim Janssen
20:30€ 18 / € 15 (CJP, student card, city card)

WED 20 FEB 2013
Trio Elf
20:30€ 18 / € 15 (CJP, student card, city card)

FRI 22 FEB 2013
Living by Lanterns
20:30€ 20 / € 17 (CJP, student card, city card)

WED 27 FEB 20132
Stolpernova
0:30€ 15 / € 12i.c.w. Music: World Series & Tropentheater

Big tip for March at the Bimhuis is the return of John Scofield on Saturday 16 March 2013

John ScofielJohn Scofield is one of the most popular jazz guitarists of all time. He stood out in the early 1980s playing with Miles Davis and his raw, direct style remains recognizable, whether he plays acoustic jazz, electric funk or gospel. With Hammond B3 organist Larry Goldings he has played in various settings over the last 15 years, including Jack DeJohnette’s Trio Beyond. Their trio with drummer Greg Hutchinson is an exciting variation on the classic organ trio, presenting a vigorous set full of free funk, jazz classics and highlights from the Scofield oeuvre.

More info about Amsterdams Bimhuis can be found at www.bimhuis.com

Last modified: July 15, 2018