Jan Kuiper

Jan Kuiper (born February 5, 1957 in Zevenhuizen ) is a Dutch musician of fusion jazz ( guitar , composition ), who has also turned to world music and improvised music .

Live and act

Kuiper learned to play the guitar from the age of 15. From 1976 to 1980 he studied classical guitar with Willem van Lier at the Conservatory in Groningen. He has been a professional musician since he was twenty, initially in the rock camp. In the late 1970s Kuiper was part of Lex Jasper's Big Band 67 (with Jenne Meinema) and the Semper Fata trio . He also played with Look at the Sky , a rock-jazz trio around Alan Laurillard . From the end of 1983 he appeared in a duo with the guitarist Piet Hoeksma (whom he replaced in 1988 in the group of the singer Greetje Bijma ). Kuiper, who won the Middelsee Jazz Prijs in 1984, became a jurorLeo Cuypers brought in his Brull band , with which he recorded an album and played until 1986.

In 1985 he formed the formation Compass with Paul Stocker , Niko Langenhuijsen and Pierre Courbois , which recorded the album Sans Titre in 1987 . From 1985 to 1993 he was also a member of Maarten van Norden's quartet . From autumn 1985 he led his own quartet, which included Sean Bergin , Ernst Glerum and Hans Hasebos . With Maarten van Norden he formed the funk-jazz group Future Shock , which existed until 1994 and released several albums. He also composed for the group. In 1985 he received the SJIN's Podium Award . With the two previous winners Wolter Wierbos and Paul van Kemenade he formed the improvisation trio Podium 3 , which performed until 2007, also appeared internationally (for example at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal ) and released several albums; since 1992 the Podium Trio has also worked with Cornell Rochester and Jamaaladeen Tacuma . Supplemented by David Murray , George Lewis and Kelvyn Bell, they performed under the name Sogomougou at the Jazz Marathon in Groningen.

In addition, Kuiper has performed with jazz musicians and African and Indian percussionists in the group Jungle Warriors since 1993 , from which his World Groove Project developed in the following decade . With his trio, he accompanied Murray, Bennie Wallace and Arthur Blythe ; he appeared in the guitar trio Three of a Kind with Stochelo Rosenberg and other guitarists. In 2006 he formed the Super-Kwartet with David Murray, Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Cornell Rochester. In 2007 he expanded the group to the Super Quintet (with Murray, Craig Harris , Tacuma and Calvin Weston ). He was also touring with the guitar band The Five Great Guitars, which he founded (with Jan Akkerman , Eric Vaarzon Morel and Harry Sacksioni ).

In addition, he worked as a guitar teacher at a school from 1978 to 1988, then until 1994 at the Leeuwarden Music Academy, which was then moved to Groningen. From 1994 to 2000 he was the main subject teacher for electric guitar in the pop and jazz department. He was also active as a concert organizer and as the author of two books.

Web links

• Web presence
• Entry (Muziekencyclopedie)
• January Kuiper at Discogs (English)