About us

Chief conductor Dennis Mackrel From November 2015, the Jazz Orchestra is conducted by chief conductor Dennis Mackrel (1962). Mackrel started his professional career as a ten year old and became the youngest drummer ever in the Count Basie band when he was twenty. Mackrel has played in orchestras such as The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, The Carla Bley Very Large Band and the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band. He developed from sideman to band leader in many collaborations with European orchestras including the UMO big band from Helsinki (Finland) and the WDR big band from Cologne (Germany). In 2010 he returned to the Count Basie Orchestra as a bandleader, where he remained active until 2013. The collaboration with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw goes back to 2004, where he was first regularly heard as a drummer. Since 2014, Mackrel has led the orchestra several times, including in the Grote Zaal of The Concertgebouw. ​​In addition to his role as chief conductor of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, Mackrel is also a sought-after drummer and highly regarded composer and arranger. He was commissioned by the United States Millitary Academy (West Point's Jazz Knights Big Band), The Temple University Jazz Ensemble, The Columbus Jazz Orchestra and the McCoy Tyner Big Band with four Mackrel arrangements on the Grammy winning CDs The Turning Point and Journey .As a pedagogue, Mackrel is active in giving masterclasses, seminars and workshops throughout Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States. From 2002 to 2003 Dennis was a guest teacher at the Royal Conservatory in Aarhus (Denmark) and from 2012 to 2013 the Visiting Artist in Jazz Studies at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He currently teaches at Queens College in Flushing, NY and is a member of the jazz faculty at Birch Creek Summer Jazz Camp in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin and the Skidmore Jazz Institute in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Leiden, 1965

Conservatorium Groningen and Maastricht

Why I chose the sax, is very simple: the great sound of the instrument. At the age of sixteen I started playing the sax myself. The baritone saxophonist always faces a dilemma: do you opt for an instrument up to low berry or low a? The sound concept is completely different. I have searched for a long time for the optimum instrument. My Selmer Mark VI baritone has a beautifully smooth sound. Wise lessons Frans Vermeerssen and Adri van Velsen were important for my early development. Frans taught me to think autonomously about musical structures. Adri sparked the fire to become a saxophonist. Joe Henderson was an important influence on my playing. Unforgettable The concert of the Miles Davis Group at the North Sea Jazz Festival 1984 was my most impressive and intense musical experience. In Groningen you could see everything and everyone performing at jazz café de Spieghel: Clifford Jordan, Philly Joe Jones, Buddy Tate, Boris van der Lek, Ferdinand Povel, Cees Slinger, Rein de Graaff and so on. Debut My debut was with the Tam Tam Fanfare, the band with Frans Vermeerssen. We played at the Jazz Marathon in the Oosterpoort in Groningen. I quickly became addicted to the energy that you are part of on stage. Jazz Orchestra I am incredibly proud of this orchestra. Such a broad repertoire and at the same time so adventurous. That is only possible if you have really good musicians together. And we play with the best. What an experience it was to play with my childhood hero Joe Henderson for the first time in the Concertgebouw! I look forward to the many wonderful concerts that we are going to give.

Jasper van Damme (1986) studeerde aan de conservatoria van Rotterdam en Amsterdam, waar hij lessen volgde bij o.a. Dick Oatts, Ferdinand Povel en Benjamin Herman. In 2012 studeerde hij met een 10 af aan de Master-opleiding van het conservatorium van Amsterdam.

Als solist en bandlid stond Jasper op vele Nederlandse en internationale jazzpodia, waaronder Carnegie Hall, het Koninklijk Concertgebouw en uiteraard het North Sea Jazz Festival.

De afgelopen jaren won hij verschillende prijzen, meest recentelijk de Dutch Jazz Competition en de Conservatorium Talent Award. Collega’s en critici typeren Jasper als een muzikant die ‘lyrisch en vol overgave’ speelt.

Leiden, 1970

Hilversums Conservatorium

Making music is my pleasure and my life. The musical journey of discovery started at the age of seven, on an old attic guitar. My Gibson ES-125 is a gift from Wim Overgaauw. I often came to his house and always took the same guitar from the wall. Not long before his death in 1995, Wim said I could take the guitar with me. I have never come across one that inspires me more in terms of sound and energy. Stage debut In jazz café The Duke in Leiden I was allowed to play with Split Kick, my father's band. I've never been so nervous. The Duke had live jazz every day and jam session every week. I played with people of higher level. In fact, I became "professional musician" at the age of sixteen. Wise lessons Every moment with Wim Overgaauw, the nestor of the Dutch jazz guitar, I consider wise lessons and inspiration. Lessons at the Conservatory, performing together, talking about music in the hospitality industry and at home, it was all equally valuable. My examples are Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, Pat Metheny and John Scofield. Besides being influenced by guitarists, I was influenced by musicians like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock. Unforgettable In 2010 we played in Guanajuato, where the Mexican War of Independence against the Spaniards had started in 1810. A stage for an old granary, TV recordings, beautiful weather and thousands of crazy Mexicans. The band was "on fire", partly inspired by the American drummer Adam Nussbaum. Jazz Orchestra There aren't many big bands with guitarists in the rhythm section. Founder Henk Meutgeert has always recognized the importance of this. The piano and guitar, nevertheless both harmonic instruments, are so attuned to each other that we do not get in each other's way. We have accompanied many world famous soloists. I feel privileged and hope to be able to sustain this for years to come.

In addition to Mackrel, Rob Horsting can regularly be found as a conductor for the orchestra. Horsting is also the regular arranger for the Jazz Orchestra and plays an important role in our talent development projects. Horsting is also a much sought-after and gifted arranger who has worked with numerous orchestras and soloists. Besides Dennis Mackrel, pianist and arranger Rob Horsting is the orchestra's regular conductor. He is also the regular arranger for the Jazz Orchestra and plays an important role in our talent development projects. In addition, Horsting (1966) draws for many wonderful arrangements of compositions by our band members and guest soloists. Horsting is also a much sought after and gifted arranger who has worked with countless orchestras and soloists from the WDR big band, the Orchestra of the East, FUSE to the Clark Terry Big Band, and from Roberta Gambarini, Ronald Snijders, Mike del Ferro, Toots Thielemans to Cristina Branco, and many others such as Deborah Brown, Roy Hargrove, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Ellen ten Damme, Izaline Calister, Stian Carstensen, Jimmy Heath, Johnny Griffin, Fay Claassen, Francien van Tuinen, George Coleman, Astrid Seriese, Benjamin Herman and Chick Corea.

Huntington, New York, 1968

Hilversum's Conservatory

Contrabass From the age of 7 to 12, I played the violin. At the age of fifteen, I was gripped by the bottom of the music and started playing the bass guitar. When I was twenty, it became the double bass. My current double bass is the best I've ever had. It was built in 1890 in Mirecourt, France. He sounds good in all registers - and solo as well - with a lot of low for a good walkin 'sound. We had a four-man band and played garage rock. For the occasion the band was expanded with a saxophonist. The fee for the entire band was 50 guilders. Wise classes Jazz bassist Ray Brown has a great influence on me. It sparkled from the early 1950s to the late 1990s. I get lessons by listening to his recordings. "Never stop studying" John Clayton once wrote to me in an email. I follow that advice. Unforgettable In 1989, the Ray Brown Trio played for TROS Sessjun. Nick Vollebregt’s Jazz Café shook to its foundations due to its beat and sound. And Brown played on my amp. Our performance with Elvin Jones with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw was very special to me. He is one of the greatest jazz heroes. It clicked between us and it felt very good. Jazz Orchestra As a co-founder, I feel closely connected to the orchestra. You can take the audience on stage with you and your group. Our repertoire ranges from straight ahead to modern and fusion. In the rhythm section we groove as hard as possible and we always strive for the perfect performance.

Emmen, 1968

Groningen Conservatory and Hilversum Conservatory Trombone

It was actually purely coincidence that I started playing the trombone. And I just can't get rid of it. With the Jazz Orchestra I prefer to take the Vincent Bach, but I also often play on my King. Which trombone I use depends entirely on the job. In Groningen I started with classical music, but soon I made the switch to light music. I feel much more at home there. Stage debut In my second year at the conservatory I already played in classical orchestras. Soon I also did studio work. I have been working as a freelancer for almost 25 years now. I like that very much. Wise lessons I am really a technical player. It's just a matter of doing it: studying and continuing to study. Unforgettable The foreign tours with the band are unforgettable in many ways !! Jazz Orchestra My goal is always to deliver good work. People come to a room especially for us and then I set the bar high. I like to work with people who are really good. The Jazz Orchestra is a fun group of people with great soloists.

The Hague, 1971

Royal Conservatory The Hague

Peter Beets is a world-class pianist, which is evident from the prestigious prizes he has collected from a very young age: the Pall Mall Swing Award at the age of 17 and a year later the Princess Christina Competition . In 1998 - the year he graduated and became the permanent pianist of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw - Beets won the prestigious Prix Martial Solal in Paris. . He gets his first piano lessons when he is six. From 1985 he and his two brothers act as The Beets Brothers and in 1990 the first CD was released. When he launches his acclaimed CD New York Trio in 2001, it is the start of a flourishing international career. As a composer, Beets makes his debut with First Song with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. , made CDs with Jeff Hamilton, Larry Grenadier, Greg Hutchinson and Curtis Fuller. Jazz Orchestra In 2010 he and the Jazz Orchestra received an Edison for the masterful CD Blues for the Date - compositions by Peter Beets. Blues for the Date was named one of the five best large ensemble albums of the year by the authoritative All About Jazz.

Erik van de Berg wrote about Jelle Schouten and the trumpet a while ago in his review Butterflying Visions by Ebony Band: Van de Berg describes how the good-natured creepy Gonzo from the Muppet Show uses a scorching final. But instead of the final note, for example, a thunderous bang sounded, leaving the soloist with a bad snout and a crumpled instrument. "Eve threatened to create a similar scene on Saturday in the Ebony Band," continues Van de Berg. lead-trumpet player Jelle Schouten got so angry in Robert Graettinger's An Orchestra that fear had to be had for the beautiful stained glass windows of Paradiso. They loved it, but it certainly wasn't Schouten's fault with his formidable salvo that brought him a decibel record. "That was in 1996 - Schouten hasn't changed since then.

Many musicians do not like to say much about themselves. Music is what they want to be heard, and the rest is not important. Yet it is funny to know that Martin van de Berg is not only bass trombone but that trombones are also made from the Martin brand, but that Martin himself is a Kuen-Hoyer plays: 'The Orchestra signature is a very sophisticated instrument. For me the first bass trombone that connects such an excellent tone, quality and flexibility through all registers with a clear attack on every note! ”Martin van den Berg is praised for his 'rhythmical amazing bassline' and is a teacher of music at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

Urmond, 1962

Hilversums Conservatorium / Conservatorium van Amsterdam

In 1988, Ruud Breuls won the Wessel Ilcken prize and in 2013 the Laren Jazz Award. Since 1990 he has been a jazz trumpet teacher at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. , Ronny Cuber and Bill Holman. In addition to the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, he plays in the Stylus Horns and the Metropole Orchestra, among others.

Rotterdam, 1962 Conservatory of Rotterdam (cum laude)

'After forty years playing on Premier drums, the time was ripe for a new challenge. My DW sets sound great. They are super finished and look beautiful. I am currently using three different series. For jazz concerts I use the Jazz series with a maple / gumwood kettle, 'Serierse tells in De Slagwerkkrant. Serierse comes from a musical family and started playing drums at the age of 6. In 1990, Serierse was taught in New York by drummers Mel Lewis and Steve Gadd. He is a much sought after session musician in both the pop and jazz world. Everything revolves around versatility with always the right feel and sound; an all-rounder that always sounds authentic.Serierse played with Bob Brookmeyer, Michel Petrucciani, Johnny Griffin, Toots Thielemans, Al Jarreau and of course a wide range of great Dutch musicians.