Fee Aaij nominated for Edison Jazz Award in Newcomer category

Fee Aaij, a former Jazz & Pop student at ArtEZ Academy of Music in Arnhem, has been nominated for an Edison Award in the Newcomer category for her debut album I Am The Joker. The Edison is the highest accolade in the Dutch music industry and, after the Grammys, the oldest music award in the world.

Photo: Vincent Baake

Fee Aaij is a (jazz) pianist and composer from Arnhem. Her conceptual debut album I Am The Joker was released in 2025. Her ‘Joker 4tet’ consists of Pauline Timmerbeil on bass, Bene Müller on guitar and Daniel Louis on drums.

Fee Aaij studied Jazz & Pop at ArtEZ Academy of Music in Arnhem, where she was taught by pianists Robert Jan Vermeulen, Jeroen van Vliet and Aljosja Buijs.

The Edison jury on Fee Aaij’s album

‘With I Am The Joker, pianist and composer Fee Aaij presents a striking and distinctive debut album. Building on a strong musical concept, she creates a world where melancholy, rebellion and imagination come together. Her compositions move freely between jazz, rock and classical influences, with echoes of artists including Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner and David Bowie, while retaining her own distinctive voice. Together with her quartet, Aaij delivers a layered and compelling album.’

Edison Jazz and Classical 2026

This year’s Edison Jazz jury consists of Frank Bolder (chair), Mischa Andriessen, Marieke Meischke, Sakti Kehdoe and Martine van Zelst.

There are thirteen jury categories in total for Edison Jazz and Classical. The other nominees in the Newcomer category are Animato Quartet, Daan Kluwer and Shane van Neerden.

The awards ceremony will take place on 25 October during the TV programme Podium on NPO 1. The winners will then receive the well-known bronze statuettes created by visual artist Pieter d’Hont.