Han Bennink (born 17 April 1942) is a Dutch drummer and percussionist. On occasion his recordings have featured him playing soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, trombone, violin, banjo and piano. Though perhaps best known as one of the pivotal figures in early European

free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...

and

free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any general rules, instead following the intuition of its performers. The term can refer to both a technique—employed by any musician in any genre—and as a recognizable genre of ...

, Bennink has worked in essentially every school of jazz, and is described by critic Chris Kelsey as "one of the unfortunately rare musicians whose abilities and interests span jazz's entire spectrum." Known for often injecting

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

and absurdist humor into his performances, Bennink has had especially fruitful long-term partnerships with pianist Misha Mengelberg and saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. Han is a brother of saxophonist Peter Bennink.

Early life and education

Bennink was born in

Zaandam Zaandam () is a city in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad and received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in 1811. It is located on the river Zaan ...

, the son of a classical percussionist. He played the drums and the clarinet during his teens.

Performing career

Through the 1960s he was the drummer with a number of American musicians visiting the Netherlands, including

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...

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Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...

and

Eric Dolphy Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and bandleader. Primarily an alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist, and flautist, Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain ...

(he is present on Dolphy's recording, '' Last Date'' (1964)). He subsequently became a central figure in the emerging European

scene. In 1963 he formed a quartet with pianist Misha Mengelberg and saxophonist Piet Noordijk which performed at the 1966

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...

. In 1967 he was a co-founder of the Instant Composers Pool with Mengelberg and

Willem Breuker Willem Breuker (4 November 1944 – 23 July 2010) was a Dutch bandleader, composer, arranger, saxophonist, and clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindri ...

, which sponsored Dutch avant garde performances. From the late 1960s, he played in a trio with saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and Belgian pianist Fred Van Hove, which became a duo after Van Hove's departure in 1976. Through much of the 1990s, he played in Clusone 3 (also known as the Clusone Trio), a trio with saxophonist/clarinetist

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and cellist Ernst Reijseger. He has often played duos with Mengelberg and collaborated with him alongside other musicians. From the late 1980s through the early 2000s, Bennik collaborated closely with Dutch

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

band The Ex, appearing on their 1995 album '' Instant'' and travelling and playing with them on their first tour to Ethiopia.

Recordings

As well as playing with these long-standing groups, Bennink has performed and recorded solo (''Tempo Comodo'' (1982) being among his solo recordings) and played with many

and

musicians including Derek Bailey, Conny Bauer, Don Cherry and Alexander von Schlippenbach, as well as more conventional jazz musicians such as

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

. In 1983 he collaborated with boogie-woogie pianist and vocalist Little Willie Littlefield for his album, '' I'm in the Mood''.

Style

Bennink's style is wide-ranging, running from conventional jazz drumming to highly unconventional free improvisation, for which he often uses whatever found objects happen to be onstage (chairs, music stands, instrument cases), his own body (a favourite device involves putting a drumstick in his mouth and striking it with the other stick), and the entire performance space—the floor, doors, and walls. He makes frequent use of birdcalls and whatever else strikes his fancy (one particularly madcap performance in Toronto in the 1990s involved a deafening fire alarm bell placed on the floor).

Discography

The following is a partial list of recordings by Han Bennink.

Solo albums

* 1970: ''Solo'' ( Instant Composers Pool) * 1973: '' Nerve Beats'' (UMS, ALP, Atavistic, 2001) * 1979: ''Solo - West/East'' ( FMP) * 1982: ''Tempo Comodo'' (

Data Records Ministry of Sound or Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members' club, worldwide events operation, music publishing business and fitness studio. James ...

)

Collaborations

As leader or co-leader * 1968: ''Instant Composers Pool'', ( Instant Composers Pool), with Misha Mengelberg and

John Tchicai John Martin Tchicai ( ; 28 April 1936 – 8 October 2012) was a Danish free jazz saxophonist and composer. Biography Tchicai was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to a Danish mother and a Congolese father. The family moved to Aarhus, where he s ...

* 1972: '' Derek Bailey & Han Bennink'' (Ictus) with Derek Bailey * 1979: ''A European Proposal (Live In Cremona)'' ( Horo Records), with Misha Mengelberg, Paul Rutherford and Mario Schiano * 1996: '' Serpentine'' (Songlines Recordings), with Dave Douglas * 1997: ''3'' (VIA Jazz), with Michiel Borstlap and Ernst Glerum, reissued in 2004 by 55 Records * 2000: '' Jazz Bunker'' (Golden Years Of New Jazz), with

Eugene Chadbourne Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic. Life and career Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar wh ...

and Toshinori Kondo * 2004: '' Free Touching: Live in Beijing at Keep in Touch'' (Noise Asia), with Wong Young, Andreas Schreiber, Dennis Rea, Steffen Schorn, and Claudio Puntin * 2004: ''Home Safely'' (Favorite), with Curtis Clark and Ernst Glerum * 2005: ''BBG'' (Favorite), with Michiel Borstlap and Ernst Glerum * 2007: '' Amplified Trio'' (Treader Records), with Spring Heel Jack * 2008: ''Monk Volume One'' (Gramercy Park Music), with Michiel Borstlap and Ernst Glerum * 2009: '' Parken'' (ILK Music), with Joachim Badenhorst, Simon Toldam, and Qarin Wikström * 2010: ''Laiv'' (Bassesferec), with Fabrizio Puglisi and Ernst Glerum With Ray Anderson and Christy Doran * 1994: '' Azurety'' ( hat ART) * 1995: '' Cheer Up'' (hat ART) * 2011: ''Who Is In Charge?'' (Kemo), with Frank Möbus, Ernst Glerum, and Paul van Kemenade With Gary Bartz,

Jackie McLean John Lenwood McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator. He is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their death. Bio ...

and

Charlie Mariano Carmine Ugo Mariano (November 12, 1923 – June 16, 2009) was an American jazz saxophone, saxophonist who focused on the alto saxophone, alto and soprano saxophone. He occasionally performed and recorded on flute and nadaswaram as well. Biogra ...

* 1973: '' Altissimo'' (Philips) With

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

and

Annette Peacock Annette Peacock (born 1941) is an American composer, musician, songwriter, producer, and arranger. She is a pioneer in electronic music who combined her voice with one of the first Moog synthesizers in the late 1960s. Biography Annette Peacock ...

* 1971: '' Improvisie'' (America) * 1972: '' Dual Unity'' (Freedom) With The Blueprint Project * 2007: ''People I Like'' (Creative Nation) With

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...

* 1993: '' Anthony Braxton's Charlie Parker Project 1993'' (HatART, 1995) With

Steve Beresford Steve Beresford (born 6 March 1950) is a British musician who graduated from the University of York He has played a variety of instruments, including piano, electronics, trumpet, euphonium, bass guitar and a wide variety of toy instruments, suc ...

* 1987: ''Directly To Pyjamas'' (Nato) * 2002: ''B + B'' ( Instant Composers Pool) With

* 1967: ''New Acoustic Swing Duo'' (Instant Composers Pool) With

* 1964: '' Last Date'' ( Limelight Records) * 1964: ''Playing: Epistrophy, June 1, 1964 In Eindhoven, Holland'' (ICP; includes Misha Mengelberg and Jacques Schols; rehearsal tape for the above concert issued 1975) With Peter Brötzmann * 1968: '' Machine Gun'' ( FMP) * 1969: ''

Nipples The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in lactating females, milk from the mammary gland leaves the body through the lactiferous ducts to nurse an infant. The milk can flow through the nipple passively, ...

'' (Calig) * 1970: ''Balls'' (FMP), with Fred Van Hove * 1973: '' Brötzmann/Van Hove/Bennink'' (FMP) with Fred Van Hove, also known as ''FMP 130'' * 1977: ''Ein Halber Hund Kann Nicht Pinkeln'' (FMP) * 1977: '' Schwarzwaldfahrt'' (FMP) * 1979: '' 3 Points and a Mountain'' ( FMP), with Misha Mengelberg * 1980: ''Atsugi Concert'' (Gua Bungue) * 2001: '' Fuck de Boere'' (Atavistic) recorded in 1968 and 1970 * 2004: '' Still Quite Popular After All Those Years'' (BRÖ Records) * 2006: ''Total Music Meeting 1977 Berlin'' (BRÖ Records) * 2008: ''In Amherst 2006'' (BRÖ Records) With Eric Boeren * 2012: ''Coconut'' (De Platenbakkerij), with

and Wilbert de Joode With Marion Brown * 1967: '' Porto Novo'' (Freedom) With Sean Bergin * 1988: ''Kid's Mysteries'' (Nimbus West) With

Uri Caine Uri Caine (born June 8, 1956) is an American classical music, classical and jazz pianist and composer from Philadelphia. Biography Early years Caine was born on June 8, 1956, in Philadelphia, to Burton Caine (1928–2023), a professor at Temple ...

* 2013: ''Sonic Boom'' (816 Music) With

* 2001: ''21 Years Later (Train Kept A Rollin')'' (

Leo Records Leo Records is a British record company and label, founded in 1979, which releases jazz from Russian, American and British musicians. It concentrates on free jazz. This label is different from the Leo Records that was formed by Edward Vesala i ...

) * 2005: ''Chad And Han'' (House Of Chadula) With Don Cherry * 1971: ''

Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

'' (BYG) * 1971: '' Actions'' (Philips) With Daniele D'Agaro * 2003: ''Strandjutters'' ( hatOLOGY), with Ernst Glerum * 2010: ''Fingerprints'' (Artesuono), with Alexander von Schlippenbach With Ellery Eskelin * 1998: ''Dissonant Characters'' ( hatOLOGY) With Terrie Ex (and others) * 2000: ''The Laughing Owl'' (Terp Records) * 2002: ''Ethiopia Tour 2002'' (Not On Label) * 2006: ''Transparancy-Wolk 3'' (Terp Records), with Rik van Iersel, Bart Maris, and P Jacomyn * 2007: ''Zeng!'' (Terp Records) * 2010: ''Let's Go'' (Terp Records), with Brodie West With Cor Fuhler and Wilbert De Joode * 1998: ''Bellagram'' (Geestgronden) * 1998: "Zilch" (ConundromCd) * 2003: ''Tinderbox'' (

) With Frode Gjerstad * 2009: ''Han & Frode'' ( Cadence Jazz Records) With Kees Hazevoet * 1978: ''Calling Down The Flevo Spirit'' (Snipe Records) With Will Holshouser and

* 2011: ''Live In NYC'' (Ramboy Recordings) With Kazuo Imai * 2003: ''Across The Desert'' (Improvised Music From Japan) With Mikko Innanen and Jaak Sooäär * 2006: ''Spring Odyssey'' (TUM Records) With Instant Composers Pool With Guus Janssen * 2005: ''Groet'' (

) With Steve Lacy * 1978: ''Lumps'' (Instant Composers Pool), with Michel Waisvisz and Maarten Van Regteren Altena With Little Willie Littlefield * 1983: '' I'm in the Mood'' ( Oldie Blues) With Keshavan Maslak * 1980: ''Humanplexity'' (

), with Misha Mengelberg * 2008: ''Bim Huis Live 1st Set'' (Hum Ha Records) With Myra Melford * 1997: '' Eleven Ghosts'' (hatOLOGY) recorded 1994 With Misha Mengelberg * 1971: ''Instant Composers Pool 010'' (Instant Composers Pool) * 1972: ''Een Mirakelse Tocht Door Het Scharrebroekse no. 1-6'' (Instant Composers Pool) * 1974: ''EinePartieTischtennis'' ( FMP, Instant Composers Pool), live * 1975: ''Coincidents'' (Stichting ICP Geluidsdragers, Instant Composers Pool) * 1978: ''Midwoud 77'' (Instant Composers Pool) * 1978: ''Groupcomposing'' ( Instant Composers Pool), with Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker, Peter Bennink, Paul Rutherford, and Derek Bailey * 1978: ''Fragments'' (Instant Composers Pool), with

, and Derek Bailey * 1982: ''Bennink Mengelberg'' (Instant Composers Pool) * 1985: ''Change Of Season (Music Of Herbie Nichols)'' ( Soul Note), with Steve Lacy, George E. Lewis, and Arjen Gorter * 1991: ''Dutch Masters'' (Soul Note), with Steve Lacy, George Lewis, Ernst Reyseger, and Han Bennink * 1994: ''Mix'' (Instant Composers Pool) * 1996: ''The Instant Composers Pool 30 Years'' (Instant Composers Pool) * 1998: ''MiHa'' (Instant Composers Pool) * 2001: ''Four in One'' (Songlines Recordings), with Misha Mengelberg Quartet ( Dave Douglas, Brad Jones, Han Bennink) * 2004: ''Senne Sing Song'' (Tzadik Records, Tzadik) With Kenny Millions * 2003: ''Bootleg'' (Hum Ha Records) With Pino Minafra * 1987: ''Tropic Of The Mounted Sea Chicken'' (Splasc(H) Records), with Misha Mengelberg, Michele Lomuto, and Unknown Artist * 1991: ''Noci...Strani Frutti (Live At Europa Festival Jazz)'' (

), with Ernst Reijseger With

* 2001: ''White Widow'' (Ramboy Recordings), with Alex Maguire and Mark Helias With Simon Nabatov * 2003: ''Chat Room'' (

) With Armen Nalbandian * 2011: ''Coup de Grace'' (Blacksmith Brother) With Mark O'Leary * 2008: ''Television'' (Ayler Records) With Evan Parker * 1970: ''The Topography of the Lungs'' (Incus Records, Incus) with Derek Bailey * 2002: ''The Grass Is Greener'' (psi) With Alessandra Patrucco * 2006: ''Circus'' ( Instant Composers Pool), with Tristan Honsinger, Misha Mengelberg, and Ab Baars With Dudu Pukwana * 1979: ''Yi Yole'' ( Instant Composers Pool), with Misha Mengelberg With Roswell Rudd * 1983: ''Regeneration (Roswell Rudd album), Regeneration'' ( Soul Note), with Steve Lacy, Kent Carter, and Misha Mengelberg With Paul Ruys * 1966: ''Lover, Come Swing With Me'' (Philips Records, Philips), with Pim Jacobs, Ruud Jacobs, and Wim Overgaauw With Manfred Schoof * 1969: ''European Echoes'' (FMP) With Irene Schweizer * 1996: ''Irène Schweizer & Han Bennink'' (Intakt Records) * 2015: ''Welcome Back (Irène Schweizer and Han Bennink album), Welcome Back'' (Intakt Records) With Jaak Sooäär * 2013: ''Beach Party'' (Barefoot Records) With Spring Heel Jack * 2003: ''Live'' (Thirsty Ear), with Matthew Shipp, Evan Parker, Jason Pierce, J Spaceman, and William Parker (musician), William Parker With Aki Takase * 2011: ''Two for Two'' (Intakt Records) With Cecil Taylor * 1988: ''Spots, Circles, and Fantasy'' (FMP) With Rik van Iersel * 2005: ''Transparancy-Wolk No. 3'' (Rikordings)

References

External links

Biography and discography from the European Free Improvisation Pages
*

* * *: Solo by Bennink performed on a custom drum kit made from Dutch cheeses {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennink, Han Free jazz percussionists Free jazz drummers Dutch jazz drummers Dutch male drummers Dutch jazz percussionists Dutch jazz clarinetists Dutch trombonists Jazz trombonists Dutch jazz violinists Dutch jazz pianists 1942 births Living people Entertainers from Zaanstad Avant-garde jazz drummers Avant-garde jazz percussionists Dutch male jazz musicians ICP Orchestra members The Ex (band) members Clusone Trio members Ilk Records artists Atavistic Records artists FMP/Free Music Production artists Incus Records artists Intakt Records artists Psi Records artists Dutch multi-instrumentalists