Henk
Meutgeert is geboren in Kampen. Onder indruk geraakt van
de organist van de Noorderkerk besloot hij orgellessen te
nemen. Hij luisterde veel naar Bach en ontwikkelde zijn
improvisatie op het orgel. Op zijn zestiende stapte hij
over op piano en even later studeerde hij in Zwolle aan
het conservatorium. Zijn big band wereld opende zich bij
Allotria. Later richtte hij in Kampen big band Last Moment
op. Na vijftien jaar te hebben gewerkt voor de televisie,
waaronder Vara’s dansorkest en Skymasters, richt hij zich
nu meer op het Jazz
Orchestra of the Concertgebouw,
waarmee hij regelmatig optreedt in het BIM-huis en natuurlijk
het Concertgebouw.
BIOGRAPHY HENK MEUTGEERT (12/12/'47)
Henk
studied piano at the Zwolle Conservatory in the Netherlands
(Rudie de Heus) and in addition to his pianostudy, during
the last two years, studied arranging (Frans van Elsen).
·
Pianist of the famous "Skymasters" and many more
radio and tv
orchestras. During his time with the "Skymasters"
he accompanied many a famous soloist such as Dizzy Gillespie,
Mel Torme, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Konitz, Toots Thielemans,
Eartha Kitt and Georgie Fame, amongst many others.
· Founder and leader of the Netherlands Concert Jazz
Band. Wrote many compositions for this ensemble, such as
the suite "Voyage of a Villager" a composition
for NOS TV broadcast in 1989.
· Commissioned by AVRO TV he composed "Nature
in Concert", a suite for vocalist Madeline Bell, the
Metropole Orchestra and other soloists, performed and broadcasted
1989.
· Commissioned by a collective of European Radio
stations he arranged and performed a suite comprised of
European compositions and songs in Strassbourg with Georgie
Fame and other European soloists.
· Performance and recording of a composition written
for Candy Dulfer, Madeline Bell and the Metropole Orchestra
for the 1000th broadcast of "TROS Sesjun", a weekly
jazz radio program in 1992. This broadcast won a 4th place
at the annual Radio Festival in Monte Carlo.
· In 1994 commissioned by the European Broadcasting
Union to write a suite "Eburnian Elephant Songs".
This suite was performed at the Meervaart Theatre in Amsterdam
by the EBU/UER Big Band directed by the composer himself.
Henk
composes and arranges film and documentary music on request
of a wide variety of musical ensembles, amongst which music
for a program about the most important Dutch musea and a
documentary about the cultural resurrection of the City
of Rotterdam after World War II.
CD
& Musical Productions:
1)
"100 years KNVB"
2) "Voyage of a Villager" (1988)
3) "Portrait of Duke Ellington" (1990)
4) "Metropole Orchestra Solo" (1990)
5) "Wessel Ilcken Tribute" (1990)
6) "Een nieuwe jas" (1991)
7) "Share that Mood" (1992)
8) Josephine, the musical (1992)
9) "Fruhstuck in Berlin" (1993)
10) "Concert Public De Jazz (1994)
In
1996 a new orchestra was founded under Henk's direction:
the "New Concert Big Band". The orchestra accompanied
Joe Henderson in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in April
1996. The next big appearance of the orchestra was during
the "Holland Festival 1997", featuring two American
soloists, Deborah Brown and Cedar Walton. Regular performances
at the Concertgebouw followed, all very succesful, which
caused the Concertgebouw's management to invite the orchestra
to become it's "in-house" jazz orchestra. The
name of the orchestra was therefore changed into "Jazz
Orchestra of the Concertgebouw".
From 1997 until today the orchestra performes monthly concerts
at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam featuring a wide variety of
guest soloists such as Lee Konitz, Bud Shank, Dick Oatts,
Han Bennink, Misha Mengelberg, Eric Vloeimans, Michiel Borstlap,
Peter Weniger, Georgie Fame etc. etc. For these occasions
Henk arranges guest soloist's compositions for the orchestra
in his own highly original way.
In
1998 NPS TV broadcasted a documentary about the orchestra
and Henk's leading part therein.
2 Live Cd's have meanwhile been recorded and distributed.
The first one, "Festival", was nominated for the
Edison Award in 1999. The second CD came out late '99 and
the third one is to be released februari 2000.
In
June '99 Henk won the most important jazz award in the Netherlands,
the "Bird Award" which was presented to him at
the '99 North Sea Jazz Festival.
