Pierre Courbois
Encyclopedia
Sir Pierre Courbois is a Dutch jazz-drummer, bandleader and composer.
After studying percussion at the Hogeschool der Kunsten in Arnhem
, Courbois left for Paris
, the center of Jazz in Europe in the early 1960s. There he worked with a number of jazz giants such as pianist Kenny Drew
, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty
, saxophonists Eric Dolphy
, Ben Webster
, Stan Getz
and Johnny Griffin
and guitarist René Thomas
.
Courbois was one of the first musicians in Europe to experiment with free jazz: In 1961 he became the drummer and leader of the (Original Dutch) Free Jazz Quartet. In 1965 he started another group, the Free Music Quintet, composed of international musicians. Its album at the ESP label has been called the best example of European Jazz. He also played and recorded with Gunter Hampel
's Heartplants Group with Manfred Schoof and Alexander von Schlippenbach.
In 1969 Courbois founded the first European 'Rock-Jazz' group, Association P.C.. This famous ensemble, winner of the Down Beat Poll, existed until 1975 with Toto Blanke, Sigi Busch, different key-boarders, including Jasper van 't Hof
, Joachim Kühn
and Sigi Kessler. In 1982 he founded New Association with Heribert Wagner, Ben Gerritsen and Ferdi Rikkers. He has also played with the pianists Mal Waldron
, and Rein de Graaff, horn players Willem Breuker
, Hans Dulfer
and Theo Loevendie, and Ali Haurand's European Jazz Quintet with Gerd Dudeck, Leszec Zadlo and Alan Skidmore.
In 1992 Pierre started a Quintet under his own name and for the first time in his career performed pieces, all composed by himself. This ensemble pleasantly surprised both the critics and the public with a return to the Charlie Mingus tradition - thematic, melodic ensemble jazz and an experimentation with linear improvisation.
In 1999 he founded the so called "Double-Quintet" and in 2003 his famous "Five-Four-Sextet", with, to name a few, Eric Vloeimans, Ilja Reijngoud, Jasper Blom, Paul van Kemenade and Niko Langenhuijsen.
He is still playing with Jasper van 't Hof in a trio called "Cour-Hof" with Barend Courbois on bassguitar.
Also with Polo de Haas in the "Gong-Duo" sometimes with Kittie Courbois as guest.
During the 1994 North Sea Jazz Festival
the Bird Award, the highest award in the Dutch Jazz World, was bestowed upon Pierre. Since 2000 he is knight of the Order of Orange Nassau and in 2008 he received the VPRO / Boy Edgar Award.
After studying percussion at the Hogeschool der Kunsten in Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
, Courbois left for Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, the center of Jazz in Europe in the early 1960s. There he worked with a number of jazz giants such as pianist Kenny Drew
Kenny Drew
Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Born in New York City, New York, he first recorded with Howard McGhee in 1949, and over the next two years recorded with Buddy DeFranco, Coleman Hawkins, Milt Jackson, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, and Dinah Washington...
, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty is a French virtuoso violinist and jazz composer.- Early years:Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians on 29 September 1942 in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano...
, saxophonists Eric Dolphy
Eric Dolphy
Eric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions he also played the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s...
, Ben Webster
Ben Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
, Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
and Johnny Griffin
Johnny Griffin
John Arnold Griffin III was an American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist.- Early life and career :Griffin studied music at DuSable High School in Chicago under Walter Dyett, starting out on clarinet before moving on to oboe and then alto sax...
and guitarist René Thomas
René Thomas (guitarist)
René Thomas is considered one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 1960s, but has remained rather unknown to the general public. After the Second World War, he played with the "Bop Shots", Belgium's first be-bop outfit with Jacques Pelzer and Bobby Jaspar...
.
Courbois was one of the first musicians in Europe to experiment with free jazz: In 1961 he became the drummer and leader of the (Original Dutch) Free Jazz Quartet. In 1965 he started another group, the Free Music Quintet, composed of international musicians. Its album at the ESP label has been called the best example of European Jazz. He also played and recorded with Gunter Hampel
Gunter Hampel
Gunter Hampel is a German jazz vibraphonist, clarinettist, saxophonist, flautist, pianist and composer born in Göttingen, Germany, perhaps best-known for his album "The 8th of July 1969" that included fellow musicians Anthony Braxton, Willem Breuker and Jeanne Lee...
's Heartplants Group with Manfred Schoof and Alexander von Schlippenbach.
In 1969 Courbois founded the first European 'Rock-Jazz' group, Association P.C.. This famous ensemble, winner of the Down Beat Poll, existed until 1975 with Toto Blanke, Sigi Busch, different key-boarders, including Jasper van 't Hof
Jasper van 't Hof
Jasper van 't Hof is a Dutch jazz pianist and keyboard-player.Van 't Hof was born in Enschede, Overijssel, Netherlands, and began studying piano at the age of five. He was playing in jazz bands in school, and by the age of 19 was playing at jazz festivals with drummer Pierre Courbois...
, Joachim Kühn
Joachim Kühn
-Biography:Kühn was a musical prodigy and made his debut as a concert pianist, having studied classical piano and composition with Arthur Schmidt-Elsey. Influenced by his elder brother, clarinetist Rolf Kühn, he simultaneously got interested in jazz. In 1961 he became a professional jazz musician....
and Sigi Kessler. In 1982 he founded New Association with Heribert Wagner, Ben Gerritsen and Ferdi Rikkers. He has also played with the pianists Mal Waldron
Mal Waldron
Malcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
, and Rein de Graaff, horn players Willem Breuker
Willem Breuker
Willem Breuker was a Dutch jazz bandleader, composer, arranger, saxophonist, and bass clarinetist....
, Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer is a Dutch jazz musician who plays tenor saxophone.Hans Dulfer was born on 28 May 1940 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He began at age 17 and has been referred to as "Big boy" because of his album of the same name. At the end of the sixties he and Herbert Noord founded a quartet that...
and Theo Loevendie, and Ali Haurand's European Jazz Quintet with Gerd Dudeck, Leszec Zadlo and Alan Skidmore.
In 1992 Pierre started a Quintet under his own name and for the first time in his career performed pieces, all composed by himself. This ensemble pleasantly surprised both the critics and the public with a return to the Charlie Mingus tradition - thematic, melodic ensemble jazz and an experimentation with linear improvisation.
In 1999 he founded the so called "Double-Quintet" and in 2003 his famous "Five-Four-Sextet", with, to name a few, Eric Vloeimans, Ilja Reijngoud, Jasper Blom, Paul van Kemenade and Niko Langenhuijsen.
He is still playing with Jasper van 't Hof in a trio called "Cour-Hof" with Barend Courbois on bassguitar.
Also with Polo de Haas in the "Gong-Duo" sometimes with Kittie Courbois as guest.
During the 1994 North Sea Jazz Festival
North Sea Jazz Festival
The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam...
the Bird Award, the highest award in the Dutch Jazz World, was bestowed upon Pierre. Since 2000 he is knight of the Order of Orange Nassau and in 2008 he received the VPRO / Boy Edgar Award.