is an adventurous Dutch saxophonist. Performing mainly his own arrangements, he gives approximately 100 concerts per year the world over.
For his artistic merits Hekkema was admitted to the Society of the Arts of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020.
Hekkema is co-founder of Calefax Reed Quintet (since 1985), for whom he has arranged and composed hundreds of works, many of which have been recorded.
Raaf Hekkema teaches classical saxophone at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.
Raaf, long time. Stumbled onto your new record. It’s beautiful. Your tone is fantastic. Congratulations. Hope to hear you in concert at some point.
Another brilliant example of lifting the saxophone family once more back into the realm of where Monsieur Sax surely must have hoped it would find its ultimate destination.
“With this fourth solo album Raaf Hekkema has constituted a Guide to the Saxophone that is not only ideal for saxophonists, and conservatoria but also for multiple other interested parties. In that sense, he is no doubt one of, if not the best advocate of Adolphe’s invention.” (HRAudio)
