Music

Biography

Born in 1959 and started playing music (guitar) when he was 14. First acoustic blues / jazz / skilffle and later on electric blues and jazz. Started booking his own bands (and others) in 1988 and founded Crossroads blues agency. Since 1993 his main focus was booking European tours for USA blues artists. In 1997 he founded his own record label (Black and Tan Records) combining the tours and releases of the same artists.

Over the years he played guitar and recorded with a.o. Percy Strother, Smokey Wilson , Byther Smith, Burton Gaar, Roy Roberts, Larry Garner, Boo Boo Davis, Erskine Oglesby, Jody Williams, Roscoe Chenier, Clara McDaniel, Billy Jones, Hosea Leavy. With Boo Boo Davis he recorded 10 CD’s and did more then 1000 live shows on European blues & jazz stages (like Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz a Juan and Peer Bluesfestival).

About ten years ago he changed from regular guitar to baritone guitar developing a personal style by combining bass guitar parts with lead guitar parts . You can hear the result on more then hundred tracks that he recorded since 2008 with a.o. Boo Boo Davis and Tangled Eye. Recently he also re-discovered a lot of jazz standards from his time at Hilversum Conservatorium in the 1980’s. Besides playing with Boo Boo Davis he is also active in these musical projects:

ElectroBluesSociety
A duo project together with Jasper Mortier; they both have a broad musical taste and an open mind. Together they are mixing the old with the new; combining 30+ years of live stage experience (on the European blues/roots stages) with modern technologies (loops, samples), video projection and other musical styles. The musical input ranges from Alan Lomax to Roxy Music and from Led Zeppelin to techno.

miXendorp
Remixing the blues ! Expect no ‚music for the millions’ but an original and eclectic mix of blues, jazz, world, funk, techno and all kind of other great music with a beat. BLUES always had a strong BEAT and was intended to get people to dance; now it can be played again at the hippest modern parties, festival and clubs ..…. and still feel down home.

BLu ACiD
Together with fellow musician / producer Mischa den Haring he joined forces in this production unit. In February 2014 they released their first tracks and April 2014 the first album production: a new BOO BOO DAVIS release (What Kind Of Shit Is This?) After this succesful project (with several sync placements in the USA) they did some more projects and these tracks were released on BLu ACiD Records, a subsidiary label of Black and Tan.

Recently he started releasing tracks under his own name;
– instrumental blues tracks on Instrumental Blues Records
– cover versions of jazz standards on KuvVer Records

He has a deep love for American roots music and with all his musical activities his goal has always been KEEPING LIVING MUSIC ALIVE.

Releases