Herman comes from a family of six children. His twin brother Jonathan works as a film director. His mother is Dutch; his father was a rabbi and worked as a psychotherapist. At the age of eight, Herman and his family moved to the Netherlands. At the age of twelve, Herman started playing the saxophone. At thirteen, he was already performing on the professional club circuit. Within a few years, Benjamin had played all over the world with various groups and initiated his own projects. When he was seventeen, Herman played for the first time at the
North Sea Jazz Festival. Herman studied at the
Hilversum Conservatory, from which he graduated
cum laude in 1991. In that year, he was the only European selected for the
Thelonious Monk Competition. He also studied at the
Manhattan School of Music in New York. In 1993, Herman founded
New Cool Collective, an eight-piece band with influences from
jazz,
soul and
Latin music. He composes the music for this band, as well as the bigger New Cool Collective Big Band, and is also the leader of both. Benjamin Herman has played with musicians such as
Jan Akkerman,
Candy Dulfer,
Wouter Hamel,
Trijntje Oosterhuis,
Jesse van Ruller,
Typhoon,
Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw,
Misha Mengelberg,
Pete Philly & Perquisite,
Hans Teeuwen,
C-Mon & Kypski,
Chef'Special,
Dr. John,
Michel Camilo,
Paul Weller, and
Han Bennink. In 2012, Herman released the album
Deal, which is also the soundtrack of
Eddy Terstalls move of the same name. Herman recorded this album with
Jesse van Ruller,
Joost Kroon,
Manuel Hugas,
Carlo de Wijs and The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Benjamin Herman released a new solo album,
Café Solo, in July 2013, featuring
Ernst Glerum (bass) and
Joost Patocka (drums). His album
Live (release date 24 January 2014) has Herman and his quartet playing on the occasion of De Kring's 90th anniversary. His previous album
Café Solo already included two tracks of those recordings and now, due to popular demand, the other tracks have been made available.
Live also features two tracks from a concert Herman gave with his trio in November 2013 during Jazzfest at Amsterdam's Studio/K. Besides his usual rhythm section of
Ernst Glerum and
Joost Patočka, Herman is accompanied by the Spanish pianist Miguel Rodríguez, who has been the house pianist for De Kring sessions for the last 1.5 years. Benjamin Herman's 16th solo album
Trouble is released on 11 July 2014. In a new departure for the multi-talented saxophonist, his latest solo disc is a joint project with 24-year-old Daniel von Piekartz. For the first time in his career, Herman has devoted an entire album to vocal numbers. “
Daniel originally planned to play on two tracks. He is incredibly musical and ideas just kept flowing... we didn’t want it to stop,” Herman recalls. Von Piekartz plays and sings on eight of the ten tracks. In 2019 Herman started his own podcast
Get In! on Dutch public radio NPO, presenting weekly selections of tracks inspired by his favorite musicians, films and documentaries. After 185 episodes in its first run, the podcast returned with a second season in 2023. In 2021 he recorded
When Will The Blues Leave with drummer John Engels and bassist Joris Teepe, released in March 2021. The album was recorded in the empty Bimhuis concert hall during the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2022 Herman released
True Love’s Flame, a collaboration with vocalist Anna Serierse. The album was inspired by noir-like soundtracks and the surreal films of David Lynch. In 2023 Herman released the studio album
Nostalgia Blitz, blending jazz with electronic influences. In 2024 Herman received the
Edison Jazz Oeuvre Award, one of the highest distinctions in Dutch jazz. Recent projects include
Bughouse: The ERUS/ARC Sessions (2024),
Café Largo (EP, 2024), and
Everything Is OK (2024). In May 2025 he released
Nostalgia Blitz (Deluxe Edition), featuring remixes by artists including Legowelt and Zongamin. In 2025 Herman launched
The Tokyo Sessions, a multi-year project exploring Japanese jazz, film and popular culture. This will result in concerts in Europe and Japan and a forthcoming album. A documentary directed by his twin brother Jonathan Herman will premiere at the 2025 Expo in Osaka. In July 2025 Herman appeared at the
North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam in a special conversation and performance with trumpeter Adam O’Farrill. In October 2025 he presents the sixth edition of the
European Alto Festival in Rotterdam, featuring guest saxophonists Erena Terakubo (Japan) and Miru Han (South Korea). == Discography ==