Thijs van Leer
Thijs van Leer (born March 31, 1948 in Amsterdam ) is a Dutch musician and singer . His main instruments are the flute and the keyboard . Together with the Dutchman Jan Akkerman he founded the band Focus .
Life
He began taking piano lessons at the age of three. At the age of eleven he also received a flute from his father and began to learn it too. In 1969 he finished his training at the conservatory and founded a trio with Martin Dresden on bass and Hans Cleuver on drums. Jan Akkerman joined the band towards the end of the year . From now on it was called Focus . In 1972 van Leer released a solo album. Since then, various albums have been released and Thijs van Leer is a regular guest at festivals , including the Montreux Jazz Festival . In 1975 he married Roselie Peters.
In 2002 van Leer put together another formation, among others with his old colleague, the drummer Pierre van der Linden , and went on tour again as Focus .
Thijs van Leer has played regularly in the Thomas Blug Band since 2005 and goes on tour with them. The result was the live DVD Guitar From The Heart .
Discography
For publications with focus see here .
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
 NL
|
|||
| 1972 | Introspection |
NL1 (30 weeks) NL |
|
| 1975 | Introspection 2 |
NL1 (27 weeks) NL |
|
| 1976 | Musica per la Notte di Natale |
NL10  (3 weeks)NL |
|
| 1977 | Introspection 3 |
NL3  (44 weeks)NL |
|
| 1979 | Introspection 4 |
NL16 (13 weeks) NL |
|
| 1980 | collage |
NL31 (5 weeks) NL |
|
| 1981 | The land is successful |
NL41 (3 weeks) NL |
with Rogier van Otterloo & Louis van Dijk
|
| Reflections |
NL18 (2 weeks) NL |
||
| 1985 | Focus |
NL33 (1 week) NL |
with Jan Akkerman
|
| 1986 | Renaissance |
NL48 (1 week) NL |
|
| 1989 | Introspection - The Collection |
NL83 (5 weeks) NL |
More albums
- 1975: O My Love
- 1978: Nice To Have Met You
- 1981: Dona Nobis Pacem (with Pedal Point; setting of the Latin Mass Ordinance ("Rock Mass"); all compositions by Thijs van Leer)
- 1986: I Hate Myself For Loving You (with Van Leer Band)
- 1989: Bolero (with Will and the Power)
- 1990: Will and the Power
- 1992: Introspection '92
- 1997: Instrumental Hymns
- 1999: The Glorious Album
- 1999: Bach For A New Age
- 2008: The Home Concert
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
NL
|
|||
| 1980 | Ravel's Bolero - Love Theme From "10" |
NL29 (5 weeks) NL |
Web links
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Leer, Thijs van |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch musician and singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 31, 1948 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Amsterdam |