Jasper van 't Hof

Jasper van 't Hof (born June 30, 1947 in Enschede, Overijssel) is a Dutch jazz pianist and keyboard-player.

Van 't Hof studied piano at the age of five. He was playing in jazz bands in school, and by the age of 19 was playing at jazz festivals with drummer Pierre Courbois. In 1969, he became member of Courbois' early European rock jazz group "Association P.C." (together with German guitarist Toto Blanke). In the project "Piano Conclave" he played with such piano giants as George Gruntz, Joachim Kühn, Wolfgang Dauner and Keith Jarrett.

In 1974, Van 't Hof founded "Pork Pie", teaming up with Philip Catherine (guitar), Charlie Mariano (saxophone), Aldo Romano (drums), and Jean-François Jenny Clark (bass). Other bands that Van 't Hof contributed to soon followed, including "Eyeball" (which included saxophonist Bob Malach or the late violinst Zbigniew Seifert), his band "Face To Face" (which is comprised of the Danish bassist Bo Stief and the saxophonist Ernie Watts), and his crossover combo "Pili Pili" (featuring among others African singer Angelique Kidjo).

The Dutch pianist Van 't Hof is one of the most active jazz musicians on the European scene. During the course of his career, he has been at the keyboard for Archie Shepp and many others, although he is best known for his exceptional solo piano playing.

Links

* http://www.jaspervanthof.com/ Official website