REPRESENTATION:
‘Chopin meets the Blues goes BIG’
Worldwide (exclusive)
PETER BEETS
Peter Beets is one of the most recognized piano giants of our time. He is acclaimed worldwide and his star keeps on rising, while his creativity keeps increasing. In varying musical activities, from the accompaniment of ‘first lady of jazz’ Rita Reys or guests of the Jazz
Orchestra of the Concertgebouw to latin-jazz and his timeless arrangements of classical music, Beets’ personality and signature are always unmistakably audible.
Among the many awards he has received through the years are the Edison (Dutch Grammy, 2010), the Prix Martial Solal (1998) and the Pall Mall Export Swing Award (1988). In spite of his relatively young age, Beets made a substantial number of impressive recordings, most notably seven CDs for the renowned Criss Cross label, recorded in New York.
Peter Beets played with Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, “Toots” Thielemans, Elvin Jones, George Coleman, Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson and John Clayton. He recorded CD’s with Jeff Hamilton, Larry Grenadier, Greg Hutchinson and Curtis Fuller.
Peter’s CD “Chopin meets the Blues” was released in October 2010. The same year he presented the CD “Blues for the Date”, consisting of merely own arrangements and compositions, recorded live with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. For this CD he received an Edison Award (Dutch ‘Grammy’). Soon after he was invited as guest soloist with the Metropool Orkest.
Peter and his trio have made succesfull tours throughout most European countries, Russia and the U.S.A.. He was ‘special guest’ at the New York Birdland club twice. Worth mentioning are also Lincoln Centre (NY), Salle Pleyel (Paris), Yoshi’s (Oakland), Seattle’s Jazz Alley and the Composer’s Union in Moscow. A spectacular duet with Chick Corea in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw (2005) resulted in regular reinvitations.
NORTHERN EUROPEAN JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Founded in 2011 The Northern European Jazz Orchestra is a professional big band based in the Netherlands. Featuring an international line-up, the band is currently one of the most promising exponents on the European big band scene having performed with numerous well known European guest soloists including, among others, Laura Fygi, Fay Claassen, Francien van Tuinen and Ruud Breuls. Conducted by American trumpet player, Kurt Weiss, the bands repertoire consists mostly of original compositions and arrangements written by Europe’s top composers and arrangers.
CONDUCTOR – KURT WEISS
The American trumpet player Kurt Weiss has performed with various artists such as Aretha Franklin, Frank Foster, Steve Grossman, Natalie Cole, Donna Summer, Rosemary Clooney, Mel Torme and Bobby Short. Weiss has toured extensively as a trumpet soloist with the orchestras of Ray Charles, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey. While residing in New York, he has also performed with the orchestras of Toshiko Akiyoshi, Mario Bouza, Maria Schneider, Barry Harris and the Village Vanguard Monday Night Orchestra. Other performances include tours with his own groups in the United States and Europe as well as numerous broadway theatre orchestras, television shows and recordings. Kurt has been living in the Netherlands since 2001 and he makes frequent tours through Europe with various European bands. In addition to the Northen European Jazz Orchestra, he is also the conductor of the West Coast Big Band.