‘A gospel for those consigned to cubicle life, Chris Abelen’s new album captures the angst and ennui of the career office employee.’ – Band camp Jazz Pick
Vocals: Linda Ropa
Lyrics: Bastiaan Geleijnse
Trumpet: Angelo Verploegen
Alto Saxophone: Floris van der Vlugt
Trombone & Hammond: Chris Abelen
Baritone Saxophone: Tini Thomsen (solo)
Guitar: Thijs Huybens
Double Bass: Ulrich Wentzlaff-Eggebert
Drums: Yonga Sun (solo)
Recording: Wedgeview Studios, except vocals, trombone & baritone sax, recorded 'at home'.
Music, editing, mixing, mastering & production: Chris Abelen

Nobody told me

I didn’t see it coming, 
I must have been blind 
Amazing how clues just get blocked 
from your mind 

When that meeting was cancelled, 
two weeks ago 
Appointments were rescheduled 
twice in a row 

And Martha came in 
without saying hello
But still I kept going, 
still I didn't know

chorus:
My company smart card bounced 
in the restaurant today 
Suddenly it all makes sense, 
they are sending me away 
My colleagues are eating on 
like nothing is really wrong 
But I know that they know 
I am over, I am gone

A line is growing 
behind me and my tray
Maybe I will leave it here, 
just walk away

I finally get why Denise 
won't call me back
Why the beamer broke down 
while presenting to Jack 

And why my proposal 
got 'lost in the mail'
In hindsight it isn't 
so hard to unveil

chorus

bridge

Nobody told me 
Everyone knew 
It's over, I'm fired, 
I'm totally through

Nobody told me 
Everyone knew 
It's over, I'm fired, 
I'm totally through

chorus

Nobody told me

Love, Liberty & Mortgages — A Modern War Song 🎶
A ballad for workers, lovers, and the overworked.

The lyrics read like a mix of love, worry, and satire. They take the form of a message from someone addressing their partner—called “Honey”—who seems to be caught up in the grind of modern work or even corporate “battle.” The tone shifts between genuine concern (“tell me please that you’re OK”) and biting irony (“defending our liberty / our mortgage and the GDP”). The imagery of “holding the line” and “men surviving the day” makes ordinary work sound like war, highlighting the toll of capitalism and work culture. The repeated request for a simple text back underscores loneliness and the need for connection, while the final lines (“just don’t do too much coke”) ground the song in a raw, almost cynical realism, hinting at the excesses and coping mechanisms tied to high-pressure business life.

Overall, it’s both a love letter and a critique: intimate, sarcastic, and a little tragic in how it portrays the modern struggle between personal relationships and relentless economic survival..

Vocals: Linda Ropa
Lyrics: Bastiaan Geleijnse
Trumpet: Angelo Verploegen
Alto Saxophone: Floris van der Vlugt (solo)
Trombone: Chris Abelen
Bass Clarinet: Tini Thomsen
Guitar: Thijs Huybens
Double Bass: Ulrich Wentzlaff-Eggebert
Drums: Yonga Sun
Recording: Wedgeview Studios, except vocals, trombone & bass clarinet, recorded 'at home'.
Music, editing, mixing, mastering & production: Chris Abelen

Composer: Chris Abelen

Honey will you text me back
If you can find the time
Tell me please that you're OK
that your men survived the day and that you held the line

Honey, I'm so proud of you
You're doing what is right
Defending our liberty
our mortgage and the GDP
from the morning till late at night

Honey will you text me back
You left before I woke
Darwin rules in business life and I am sure you will survive
just don't do too much coke
just don't do too much coke

Honey Text Me Back

‘A gospel for those consigned to cubicle life, Chris Abelen’s new album captures the angst and ennui of the career office employee.’ – Band Camp Jazz Pick
Vocals: Linda Ropa
Lyrics: Bastiaan Geleijnse
Trumpet: Angelo Verploegen
Alto Saxophone: Floris van der Vlugt
Trombone: Chris Abelen
Baritone Saxophone: Tini Thomsen (solo)
Guitar: Thijs Huybens
Double Bass: Ulrich Wentzlaff-Eggebert
Drums: Yonga Sun
Recording: Wedgeview Studios, except vocals, trombone & baritone sax, recorded 'at home'.
Music, editing, mixing, mastering & production: Chris Abelen

Offsite weekend

We’ve been working for so long never took a rest
Our innovative talent crew
has followed vital changes through 
to keep up with the best
But once a year we break away 
from the office murk
in an informal rendezvous,
with pep talks, games and barbecue 
we contemplate our work

chorus 1:
Offsite weekend
(our) team dynamics need review 
and dogmas disappear
Offsite weekend
we talk projected revenues
until it’s time for beer

chorus 2:
Offsite weekend
We look each other in the eye
we do that once a year 
Offsite weekend
creative visions multiply
Until it’s time for beer!

Offsite weekend

‘A gospel for those consigned to cubicle life, Chris Abelen’s new album captures the angst and ennui of the career office employee.’ – Band Camp Jazz Pick

Home: where work magically becomes peaceful, deadlines feel cozy, and social life gets politely postponed.

The lyrics paint home as a magical productivity paradise — no stress, no calls, no nonsense — just pure peace where everything finally gets done. Of course, the reality is that the singer is dodging social plans and dragging work back home, trading cheesy pranks in the office for late-night deadlines on the couch. Home is less a sanctuary than a second office, only with better lighting and no conference calls.

lyrics video: https://chrisabelen.com/cubicle-life-videos/
https://chrisabelen.com/at-home-smart-links/

Vocals: Linda Ropa
Lyrics: Bastiaan Geleijnse
Trumpet: Angelo Verploegen
Alto Saxophone: Floris van der Vlugt
Trombone & Percussion: Chris Abelen
Baritone Saxophone: Tini Thomsen
Guitar: Thijs Huybens (solo)
Double Bass: Ulrich Wentzlaff-Eggebert
Percussion: Yonga Sun
Recording: Wedgeview Studios, except vocals, trombone & baritone sax, recorded 'at home'.
Music, editing, mixing, mastering & production: Chris Abelen

At home

I saw your message, please hold on
Today I won’t have any time till I’m at home
My plate is packed
But I have plenty of time tonight, when I get home

At home there’s time and peace sublime 
So much gets done at home
No cortisol, no conference call
No cheesy pranks at home

You’re right, it’s true, my budget’s due
I’m in a meeting but I’ll get it done at home

At home there’s time and peace sublime 
So much gets done at home
No cortisol, no conference call
No boring chat at home

I have to skip the show tonight
I have to plough through lots of work, tonight at home 
Do take a friend
I’ll be awake so call me up when you get home

At home

From the album space My tie, Tobias Delius on tenor saxophone

My tie

Going short

A day at the office Electronic Remix

Plint

Bye Bye Bloomingdale

Hoover

It's time to say goodbye

Jazz Reimagined: Classic Meets Funk
Imagine Ellington, Miles, and Prince in one track—classic jazz, modern energy, and irresistible groove.

“The Hall Revisited” is a 2025 remix of the original composition The Hall with the 7 Doors, written for sextet. The piece first premiered during the legendary De Klap op de Vuurpijl concert series, an annual event held between Christmas and New Year’s Eve by Willem Breuker. Back in 1988, the Chris Abelen Sextet opened the festival at Amsterdam’s Hotel Krasnapolsky on Dam Square.

https://chrisabelen.com/the-hall-revisited-smart-links/

This modern version features:
✔ 4 horn players
✔ Samples from Logic Pro X & Band-in-a-Box
✔ A stunning trumpet solo by Angelo Verploegen

Angelo Verploegen - trumpet
Floris van der Vlugt - alto saxophone
Chris Abelen - trombone, samples (Logic & BIAB), composition
Tini Thomsen - baritone saxophone

The Hall Revisited

"Post-holiday chaos in sound: a lone guitar drones a single note while turbo-charged sax and trumpet race around a simple unison motif, perfectly capturing the hectic rhythm of returning to a crowded workspace."

Back to work

The tunes blend different styles, drawing inspiration from Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and the late 20th-century Amsterdam jazz scene while incorporating modern elements like samples and beats that lend it a more upbeat, danceable energy—much like the vibe of "The Hall Revisited" and "At Home" from the EP "Cubicle Life."

Chris Abelen

Pinned to spotlight

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