TJITZE VOGEL

Tjitze Vogel

Initially Tjitze Vogel (Gorredijk, 13 June 1958) gains a reputation as a jazz bassist, but soon starts exploring new forms of improvised music. Ever since his first recordings he has been showing an interest in folk music from all over the world, which he combines with jazz and Dutch improvised ...
Full biography

Instruments

contrabas, tuba

Mentioned in the biography of

1984   Robert Jan Vermeulen
1991   Burton Greene

Biography Tjitze Vogel

Initially Tjitze Vogel (Gorredijk, 13 June 1958) gains a reputation as a jazz bassist, but soon starts exploring new forms of improvised music. Ever since his first recordings he has been showing an interest in folk music from all over the world, which he combines with jazz and Dutch improvised music. In his home town of Utrecht he finds fertile ground for this kind of approach. As one of the initiators of Music: World Series at the Utrecht SJU Jazz stage he takes up an important role in the musical melting pot taking shape in the city. It is a meeting place where musicians from jazz and world music can play together regularly, and form groups.

1982 - 1985

During his studies Tjitze Vogel can be found regularly in trumpeter Frank Grasso's groups (quartet, quintet and big band). Pianist Loek Dikker also asks him for his smaller groups, as well as the larger Waterland Ensemble.

Frank Grasso Loek Dikker

1985 - 1987

He starts performing with his Tjitze Vogel Quartet, featuring Debbie Poryes on piano and Rick Hollander on drums. Pianist Robert Jan Vermeulen asks him to join his trio.

Robert Jan Vermeulen

1987 - 1990

Vogel appears as a bassist in an increasing number of groups from Utrecht, like the quartet (later quintet) of the Greek drummer Nikos Tsilogiannis, and Dom-7. Influenced by the album Extrapolation by guitarist John McLaughlin he forms Four in One, together with saxophonist Paul Weiling. Guitarist Ed Verhoeff and drummer Dick Verbeek complete the quartet. He enters into longtime musical relationships with flutist Mark Alban Lotz (as the duo T(w)o Do) and pianist Burton Greene (in the latter's trio and quartet).

Burton Greene Mark Alban Lotz Nikos Tsilogiannis

1991 - 1994

His own new group is a quintet, called Vogelvijf. In addition to Paul Weiling (whose trio he joins in 1993, too) Paul Stocker is the second saxophonist. Pianist Eric Doelman and drummer Michael Baird are the other band members. In 1993 the ensemble records its only CD, This Side Up. The release also marks the birth of his own record label LopLop. Tjitze Vogel also joins the Van Krieken-Kempen Sextet, which releases the CD Mesa Verde in 1996.

Paul Weiling

1995

Trombonist and singer Akki Haak asks Vogel for her band, and in 1996 he can be heard on the album La Dormeuse, followed in 1998 by Dances, Gods and Monsters. He joins the nine piece street band Brasta! on tuba.

1996

Tjitze Vogel joins saxophonist and clarinetist Steven Kamperman's group 1 Step 7 Seas, featuring trombonist Kees Adolfsen and drummer Chris Barchet. The quartet produces two CD's: Speaking About Life... (1998) and Mephisto (2000).

1997

The Vogelkwartet starts its life, with a special instrumentation of double bass, violin (Jasper le Clerq), bass clarinet/soprano saxophone (Lothar Ohlmeier) and trombone (Joost Swinkels). The chamber music-like sound, combined with Vogel's love for folk music, makes up the music of the band's debut CD, Eggs in Basket (1997). Two years later the album South Of No Border follows. Trumpeter Angelo Verploegen asks Vogel to be the bass player in his new trio Toïs (with drummer Bram Wijland). The VIA-label releases their only CD, An Angel's Work Is Never Done. Vogelvijf's drummer, Michael Baird, includes him in his new ensemble Utrecht Deep Artment. In 1998 the group releases the CD Sirenians.

Angelo Verploegen

1998 - 2001

As a result of Music: World Series at the Utrecht SJU Jazz stage (of which Tjitze Vogel is one of the initiators in 1998) the ten piece Global Village Orchestra starts its life in 2001, featuring musicians from the Netherlands, Europe, Africa and Asia. Their debut album, Globalistics, is released by LopLop Records in 2003. Vogel also starts to play in Uruguayan percussionist Guillermo McGill's quartet. In 2001 the Vogelkwartet performs the project Come To Catch Your Voice, based on the works of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914 – 1953) with vocalist Jaap Blonk as a guest.

Jaap Blonk

2003

Together with Paul Weiling Tjitze Vogel dives into a combination of Chinese music and western improvisation, in the group Ming Principle. He releases the band's eponymous first CD on his LopLop label a year later. The Vogelkwartet records music for the documentary De Keurcollectie about the Hungarian-Dutch photographer Eva Besnyö. The compositions the group performs with Pieter Jan Cramer van den Boogaart (piano, accordion) as a guest, are inspired by the music of Béla Bartók, a favorite of both Vogel and Besnyö.

2006

Percussionist Nikos Tsilogiannis, one of Vogel's regular musical partners over the years, asks him to join his band Pan Project (featuring his old friend Paul Weiling, and Henk Spies on saxophones, and Albert van Veenendaal on piano). In 2008 the CD El Greco is released. Karim Eharruyen, who plays the ud (Arabian lute), includes Vogel in his group Beduin, which records its first CD (Zharbia) in 2008.

2007 - 2011

Hemelbestormers is the name of a new improv trio, consisting of Vogel, pianist Rembrandt Frerichs and Ignas te Wiel (percussion, vocals, shakuhachi, ney).

Ignas te Wiel Rembrandt Frerichs

Photos Tjitze Vogel

Audio/Video Tjitze Vogel