Sonny Rollins always tried to perfect his music
When Sonny Rollins (September 7, 1930 – May 25, 2026) took the stage, his imposing presence was impossible to ignore. As soon as he began playing his tenor saxophone, his sound was so dominant that a chord instrument like a guitar or piano was no longer necessary. Although critics and fans praised him to the […]
Why should we know who Miles Davis was?
On Tuesday, May 26, the world will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Miles Davis (1926–1991). For half a century, this composer, bandleader, and trumpeter shaped the sound of jazz. His influence on the youngest generation of musicians remains as strong as ever. Dutch trumpeter, artist, and writer Michael Varekamp is an admirer […]
Neglected Limburg industrial heritage
South of Maastricht, near the Belgian border, a large section of the Sint Pietersberg (St. Peter’s Mountain) has been excavated for marl extraction. Just over a century ago, the First Dutch Cement Industry (ENCI) established itself here. The Sint Pietersberg was strategically located on the River Maas so that the marl could be easily transported […]
Han Bennink’s instant creations
After multi-instrumentalist and visual artist Han Bennink, 1942, graduated cum laude from the Amsterdam School of Applied Arts in 1964, specialising in ‘graphic art’, one of his teachers uttered the prophetic words: ‘You will be the best graphic artist among drummers or the best drummer among graphic artists.’ Watch the video here, featuring additional footage […]
Miles Davis: ‘Painting is the visual equivalent of making music.’
The similarities between jazz and visual art are clearly evident in the work of Miles Davis (1926 – 1991). In the early 1980s, the influential American trumpeter, bandleader and composer was temporarily unable to play his instrument as a result of a stroke. His doctor advised him to use pencil exercises to regain movement in […]
Karel Appel, the fierce painter beast
The name of Karel Appel (1921 – 2006) is inextricably linked to jazz music. Like many of his Cobra colleagues, the Dutch artist was a passionate jazz lover. To create the right working conditions, he played rousing jazz records in his studio. Listen to the text on my YouTube channel: The documentary ‘The Reality of […]