Robbert Arris Jules "Rob" Agerbeek (born 28 September 1937 in
Batavia (
Jakarta)) is an
Indo
Indo may refer to:
* Indo-, a prefix indicating India or the Indian Subcontinent
* Indonesia, a country in Asia
** INDO LINES, callsign of Indonesian Airlines
** Indo people, people of mixed European and Indonesian ancestry
** Indo cuisine, fusio ...
Dutch
boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in African-American communities since 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually extended from pia ...
and
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
pianist and winner of several jazz concourses in the Netherlands in the late 1950s. He is regarded as one of Europe's finest jazz pianists, covering the full spectrum of jazz styles from his early days of Boogie-woogie to Chicago traditional Jazz,
swing
Swing or swinging may refer to:
Apparatus
* Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth
* Pendulum, an object that swings
* Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus
* Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse
* Swing rid ...
and
contemporary jazz.
Early life and career
In 1954 Rob Agerbeek and his family arrived in the Netherlands. He started playing the piano at the age of 17 or 18. Except for one piano lesson from his mother he is completely self-taught; he learned the piano by listening to records of
Albert Ammons
Albert Clifton Ammons (March 1, 1907 – December 2, 1949) was an American pianist and player of boogie-woogie, a blues style popular from the late 1930s to the mid-1940s.
Life and career
Ammons was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were p ...
,
Johnny Maddox
Johnny Maddox (August 4, 1927 – November 27, 2018) was an American ragtime pianist, historian, and collector of music memorabilia.
Life and career
John Sheppard Maddox Jr. was born in 1927 in Gallatin, Tennessee. His interest in the ragtime er ...
,
Winifred Atwell
Una Winifred Atwell (27 February or 27 April 1910 or 1914There is some uncertainty over her date and year of birth. Many sources suggest 27 February 1914, but there is a strong suggestion that her birthday was 27 April. Most sources give her ye ...
,
Pete Johnson and
Meade Lux Lewis
Anderson Meade Lewis (September 4, 1905 – June 7, 1964), known as Meade Lux Lewis, was an American pianist and composer, remembered for his playing in the boogie-woogie style. His best-known work, "Honky Tonk Train Blues", has been recorded by ...
. In the first years of his career Agerbeek is mainly into
Boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in African-American communities since 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually extended from pia ...
and later in his career he expands his playing styles with bebop, hardbop and dixieland. He accompanied more than hundred, mainly American, Jazz musicians such as
Ben Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Career Early life and career
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...
,
Hank Mobley
Henry "Hank" Mobley (July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to des ...
,
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...
,
George Coleman
George Edward Coleman (born March 8, 1935) is an American jazz saxophonist known for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s. In 2015, he was named an NEA Jazz Master.
Early life
Coleman was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He was ...
,
Johnny Griffin
John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...
and
Gene Ammons
Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...
.
Rob Agerbeek performed at international jazzfestivals as the Paris Jazz Festival, Hammerveld Jazz Festival,
North Sea Jazz Festival
The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam. This is because the Statenhal where the festival wa ...
,
Kongsberg Jazz Festival
Kongsberg Jazz Festival or Kongsberg Jazzfestival is an international jazz festival that has been held annually in Kongsberg, Norway, since 1964.
Artists
Several worldwide great artists have visited Kongsberg during this festival; internation ...
and the
Berlin Jazz Festival
JazzFest Berlin (also known as the Berlin Jazz Festival) is a jazz festival in Berlin, Germany. Originally called the "Berliner Jazztage" (''Berlin Jazz Days''), it was founded in 1964 in West Berlin by the Berliner Festspiele. Venues included ...
.
Later career
On 17 November 1996 Agerbeek celebrated his 40 years jubilee as an allround jazz pianist when he was presented with the membership of honour of the Hague Jazz Club.
Rob Agerbeek still occasionally performs with his trio consisting of himself on piano and Ben Schröder on drums and Alex Milo on bass. Joining in on vocals on several performances are Jazz singer Mirjam van Dam, Susanne de Rooij and Brigitte Soffner.
Awards
* ''AVRO Jazzcompetitie'', winner as Het Rob Agerbeek Kwartet (1956)
* ''Haags Jazzconcours'', winner as Het Rob Agerbeek Kwartet (1958)
* ''Nationaal Jazzconcours'', winner as Het Rob Agerbeek Kwartet (1958)
* ''Membership of honour'', the Hague Jazz Club (1996)
Discography
Rob Agerbeek's discography of over 40 albums include a double LP with Dexter Gordon live at the Haagse Jazz Club, five CDs with the
Dutch Swing College Band
The Dutch Swing College Band "DSCB" is a traditional dixieland band founded on 5 May 1945 by bandleader and clarinettist/ saxophonist Peter Schilperoort.
Highly successful in their native home of The Netherlands, the band quickly found an inte ...
and 10 recordings with his own bands
of which three on the
Oldie Blues
Oldie Blues was a Dutch record label founded and owned by Martin van Olderen.
History
The label was founded in 1974 and focused primarily on piano blues, boogie-woogie and Delta blues, issuing 46 LPs and 13 CDs.Wynn, Neil, ''Cross the Water B ...
label.
* ''Boogie Woogie Party'', as Rob Agerbeek Quintet, CBS, 1971
* ''Homerun'', as Rob Agerbeek Quintet, Polydor, 1971
* ''Beatles' Boogies'', as Rob Agerbeek, CBS, 1971
* ''All Souls'', as The Rob Agerbeek Trio featuring Dexter Gordon, Dexterity, 1972
* ''Keep the Change'', as The Rob Agerbeek Quintet, Munich, 1975
* ''The Boogie Rocks'', as Rob Agerbeek,
Oldie Blues
Oldie Blues was a Dutch record label founded and owned by Martin van Olderen.
History
The label was founded in 1974 and focused primarily on piano blues, boogie-woogie and Delta blues, issuing 46 LPs and 13 CDs.Wynn, Neil, ''Cross the Water B ...
, 1975
* ''Gibraltar'', as Harry Verbeke/Rob Agerbeek Quartet, Timeless, 1980
* ''Miss Dee'', as Rob Agerbeek Trio, Lime Tree, 1981
* ''Seven Steps'', as Harry Verbeke/Rob Agerbeek Quartet, Timeless, 1983
* ''Swing Gift'', as Rob Agerbeek Trio, Jazzz '91, 1991
* ''Second Opinion'', as Rob Agerbeek Trio, Jazzz '91, 1992
* ''Stardust'', as Harry Verbeke/Rob Agerbeek, Timeless, 1992
* ''Full House'', as Rob Agerbeek Trio, Nuts Ziektekosten Verzekering, 1994
* ''The Boogie Rocks'', as Rob Agerbeek,
Oldie Blues
Oldie Blues was a Dutch record label founded and owned by Martin van Olderen.
History
The label was founded in 1974 and focused primarily on piano blues, boogie-woogie and Delta blues, issuing 46 LPs and 13 CDs.Wynn, Neil, ''Cross the Water B ...
, 1997 (expanded re-issue of 1975 album)
* ''Boogie on the Move'' as The Grand Piano Boogie Train: Jaap Dekker,
Rob Hoeke
Rob Hoeke (9 January 1939 – 6 November 1999) was a Dutch singer, pianist, composer and songwriter most famous for his renditions in the field of Boogie-woogie releasing over 20 albums. Besides that he played and recorded in a musical variety of ...
and Rob Agerbeek, Rodero Records, 1997
* ''Blues & Boogie Movin' On'' as The Grand Piano Boogie Train: Jaap Dekker, Rob Hoeke and Rob Agerbeek, Rodero Records, 1997
* ''
Three of a Kind'', as Rob Agerbeek, Oldie Blues, 1998
* ''That's all'', as Ann Burton & Mark Murphy meet the Rob Agerbeek Trio, Blue Jack Jazz Records, 2004
* ''Pardon My Bop'', as Rob Agerbeek/Ruud Brink Quartet, Blue Jack Jazz Records, 2004
* ''Homerun – volume 2, as Rob Agerbeek Quintet, Blue Jack Jazz Records, 2006
* ''The Very Thought of You'', as Rob Agerbeek Trio, Venus, 2007 (Japan)
* ''Almost Blue'', as John Marshall & The Rob Agerbeek Trio, Blue Jack Jazz Records, 2008
* ''On Green Dolphin Street'', as George Coleman and The Rob Agerbeek Trio, Blue Jack Jazz Records, 2010
References
External links
Rob Agerbeekat Muziek Encyclopedie
Rob Agerbeekat
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
Rob Agerbeekat Muziekweb
Rob Agerbeekat
Rate Your Music
Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online collaborative database of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also feat ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agerbeek, Rob
1937 births
Living people
Boogie-woogie pianists
Boogie-woogie musicians
Dutch jazz pianists
Dutch jazz composers
Polydor Records artists
Timeless Records artists
Venus Records artists
Dutch people of Indonesian descent
Indo people
Oldie Blues artists
People from Batavia, Dutch East Indies
21st-century pianists
Dutch Swing College Band members