JEROEN VAN VLIET

Jeroen van Vliet

Pianist Jeroen van Vliet (Rosmalen, 8 April 1965) gains his first fame when he wins the first prize, and the prize for best soloist, at the 1985 Middelsee Jazztreffen. Three years later he repeats the feat with the group Iris at the NOS/Meervaart Competition. For a great many years ...
Full biography

Instruments

piano, toetsinstrumenten

Mentioned in the biography of

1989   Paul van Kemenade
2006   Dick de Graaf

Biography Jeroen van Vliet

Pianist Jeroen van Vliet (Rosmalen, 8 April 1965) gains his first fame when he wins the first prize, and the prize for best soloist, at the 1985 Middelsee Jazztreffen. Three years later he repeats the feat with the group Iris at the NOS/Meervaart Competition. For a great many years he is a mainstay in alto saxophonist Paul van Kemenade's quintet and in bassist Eric van der Westen's group Quadrant. His own trio, with bassist Frans van der Hoeven and initially Dré Pallemaerts, and later Pascal Vermeer on drums, records a number of CDs for which they take up residence in the famous Oslo Rainbow Studio. Trumpeter Eric Vloeimans asks him to play Fender Rhodes in his electric group Gatecrash. In other bands he can also be heard on this instrument, like trumpeter Angelo Verploegen's Executive Lounge and the Joris Posthumus Quartet. Van Vliet is also an in demand musical partner for singers like Ineke van Doorn, Kristina Fuchs and Simin Tander.

Played in

Contraband   piano
Estafest   piano
I Compani   piano
Kytecrash   toetsinstrumenten
Voer   toetsinstrumenten

1985

Van Vliet performs in a trio format (with Jerome Pellemans on alto saxophone and bass clarinet and Piet van Zundert on drums) at the competition of the Middelsee Jazztreffen in Leeuwarden. The group wins the first prize. Nineteen year old Van Vliet also manages to win the prize for best soloist.

1988

Jeroen van Vliet again wins a jazz competition, this time at the NOS/Meervaart Jazz Festival, with the quartet Iris (violinist Herman van Haaren, bassist Gerard Brohm, drummer Pascal Vermeer). The pianist is jointly awarded the prize for best soloist with Cyprus Construction's bassist Wiro Mahieu. Jeroen van Vliet's playing has grabbed the attention of alto saxophonist Paul van Kemenade, and he engages the pianist for his new quintet. It is the beginning of a long-time association.

1991

Trombonist Willem van Manen asks Van Vliet to replace pianist Ron van Rossum in his Contraband. He stays on as this big band's pianist until 1996, when Stevko Busch takes his place. Van Vliet can be heard on the CDs De Ruyter Suyte and Boy Edgar Suite.

1993

Jeroen van Vliet is a member of the new group De Orkaan (featuring the saxophonists Paul van Kemenade and Sean Bergin, trombonist Wolter Wierbos, bassist Ernst Glerum and drummer Han Bennink).

1994

Singer Ineke van Doorn includes Van Vliet in her group Vandoorn, which records its debut album The Question Is Me with the Canadian trumpeter Kenny Wheeler as a special guest. He tours South Africa with the Paul van Kemenade Quintet.

1995

For his first solo album, Who's Afraid, Jeroen van Vliet travels to the famous Rainbow Studio in Oslo, where the ECM label makes a great deal of its recordings. Eric van der Westen takes carte of the production.

1996

Bassist Eric van der Westen asks Jeroen van Vliet as the pianist for his new group Quadrant. The sextet features the saxophonists Erwin Vann and Paul van Kemenade, trombonist Hans Sparla and drummer Pieter Bast. In 1997 the ensemble releases its debut album: Diepkloof and Other Songs from the Book.

1997

With two colleagues from the Contraband, clarinetist Theo Jörgensmann and bass clarinetist Eckard Koltermann, plus Eric van der Westen on double bass, Van Vliet forms the Impressionistic Improvisers Quartet, which devotes itself to free improvisation.

1999

When the new concert hall De Toonzaal in Den Bosch opens its doors the American saxophonist and composer John Zorn is asked to present music from his Masada Book. Jeroen van Vliet is one of the members of the special ensemble performing the pieces.

2000

Van Vliet forms his own trio with bassist Frans van der Hoeven and the Belgian drummer Dré Pallemaerts. In the Rainbow Studio they record their debut CD Red Sun.

2001

Jeroen van Vliet leaves for New York for three months, to study with the pianists Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner and Clare Fischer, saxophonist Steve Coleman and trumpeter Ralph Alessi.

2002

Singer Kristina Fuchs asks Jeroen van Vliet to join her Sonic Unit. He can be heard on her second CD, Whence & Whither (featuring guitarist Florian Zenker, bassist Gulli Gudmundsson and drummer Pascal Vermeer). In 2005 the group records the album Bayram, devoted to the music of Theo Loevendie, who guests on soprano saxophone. Fuchs also has Van Vliet play on her CD Im Röseligarte (2008).

2006

Visual artist Mattie Schilders asks Van Vliet to compose music to go with a series of paintings. He performs the pieces together with reed player Mete Erker. The collaboration feels so good the duo decides to continue on. Two years later the two enter into a partnership with another duo, featuring violinist Oene van Geel and guitarist Anton Goudsmit. The newly formed quartet takes on the name Estafest. Trumpeter Eric Vloeimans asks Van Vliet to play Fender Rhodes in his new band Gatecrash. Dancer Conny Janssen commissions Van Vliet to write music for her new production Hear Me. The artistic director of the Amsterdam Bimhuis, Huub van Riel offers him a Carte Blanche night, for which he programs his own trio, reed player Michael Moore, percussionist Alan Purves and the Zapp String Quartet.

2007

Pascal Vermeer is the new drummer of the Jeroen van Vliet Trio. In this line-up they record the CD The Poet & Other Tales. Eric Vloeimans' Gatecrash releases its debut album, entitled Gatecrashin'; it earns the band an Edison (Dutch Grammy). Saxophonist Dick de Graaf engages Jeroen van Vliet for his new quartet, which has Guus Bakker on bass and Pascal Vermeer on drums. The group's first album is called Moving Targets. In young alto saxophonist Joris Posthumus's quartet Van Vliet is again paired with Pascal Vermeer; Jurriaan Dekker is the bassist. The group tours the Netherlands with the American tenor saxophonist David Murray as a special guest. Their debut album The Abyss is planned for 2010.

2008

The North Sea Jazz Festival awards Van Vliet a composition assignment, which he performs with the international ensemble Sikeda (featuring his regular partners Van der Hoeven and Vermeer, plus Belgian saxophonist Erwin Vann, German cellist Jörg Brinkmann and Iranian born percussionist Afra Mussawisade). The group's album Thin Air is due in 2010.

2009 - 2010

The German-Afghan singer Simin Tander asks Jeroen van Vliet as the pianist of her quartet (featuring Cord Heineking on bass and Etienne Nillesen on drums). With both this group and the Joris Posthumus Quartet the pianist takes part in the Young VIPS tour, organized by the Muziek Centrum Nederland in collaboration with the VIP (Association of Dutch Jazzclubs) in 2010.

Photos Jeroen van Vliet

Audio/Video Jeroen van Vliet