Michiel Braam

photo Tom Beetz

Michiel Braam (born 17 May 1964 in Nijmegen) is a Dutch Jazz-Pianist and Composer.

Activities

He studied at the ArtEZ School of Music in Arnhem, where he currently is head of the Jazz & Pop dept. In 1986 he founded 2 bands: Bik Bent Braam^[1] (with Angelo Verploegen, Eric Boeren, Wolter Wierbos, Peter Haex, Carl Ludwig Hübsch, Peter van Bergen, Jan Willem van der Ham, Bart van der Putten, Frans Vermeerssen, Frank Gratkowski, Jörg Brinkmann, Michael Vatcher) en Bentje Braam.
In 1987 Michiel Braam was commissioned by the NOS. He composed a work for 4 clarinets and piano entitled Cows and Beasts. It was performed by Braam on piano, and the clarinet players Ab Baars, Theo Jörgensmann, Michael Moore and Louis Sclavis. In 1989 he founded Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher (with Wilbert de Joode and Michael Vatcher), in 2005 eBraam (fka Wurli Trio, with Pieter Douma and Dirk-Peter Kölsch), and in 2011 Michiel Braam's Hybrid 10tet (with eBraam, the classical Matangi String Quartet, Taylor Ho Bynum, Carl Ludwig Hübsch and Nils Wogram).
Together with Frans Vermeerssen he co-leads the sextet All Ears (with Herb Robertson, Frank Gratkowski, Wilbert de Joode and Michael Vatcher). He worked also with musicians like George Lewis, Benjamin Herman, Han Bennink, Conny and Hannes Bauer and Steve Argüelles.
The orchestra Bik Bent Braam is considered to be one of the main bigger orchestras in the field of improvisation-music and performs worldwide, as does the trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher.
In 2007 Braam composed Nopera, a sort of music theatre piece in which the written parts could be performed at random and contained lots of room for improvisation, and the libretto was written in the Nothingyettish language.

In 1988 Braam was honoured with the Podium prize and in 1997 he got Dutch most important jazz prize, the VPRO/Boy Edgar Award.^[1]

Selected compositions

• De Parkeermeterfabriek for Big Band (Music Meeting 1986)
• De AABA suite for Big Band (Gelderland 1986)
• Koeien en Beesten for 4 clarinets and piano (NOS 1988)
• Sopraantje, an operette for vocal & 11 musicians (Hoge School vd Kunsten Arnhem 1993)
• Worms is Back for piano (Marcel Worms 1998)
• Alle 13 goed for Bik Bent Braam (1999)
• Kwertie for male vocal quartet (Mezzo Macho 2000)
• Bik Bent Braam Goes Bonsai (2002)
• 13 Concerten for Bik Bent Braam (2005)
• Nopera (2007)
• Extremen for Bik Bent Braam (2008)
• Non-Functionals for Michiel Braam's Wurli Trio (2008)
• Quartet for Trio BraamDeJoodevatcher (2009)
• Serendipities for Bik Bent Braam (2010)
• On The Move for Michiel Braam's Hybrid 10tet (2011)

Discography

• Oeps! (Solo, 1989)
• Bentje Braam (1990)
• Rompiendo La Rutina (European Danzón Orchestra, 1991)
• Howdy! (Bik Bent Braam, 1993)
• Jazzs (Two Penguins in the desert, 1994)
• One For Rahsaan (Frans Vermeerssen Quintet, 1995)
• Het XYZ der Bik Bent Braam (1996)
• Niet met de deuren slaan (Bo's Art Trio, 1997)
• Monk Materials (Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher, 1990) / Playing the second Coolbook (Bentje Braam, 1998)
• Zwart Wit (Bik Bent Braam, 1999)
• 13 (Bik Bent Braam, 2000)
• Colors (Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher, 2002)
• Bik Bent Braam Goes Bonsai (2002)
• Foamy Wife Hum/Line (All Ears, 2003)
• Michiel vs Braam (Solo, 2004)
• Growing Pains (Bik Bent Braam, 2004)
• Cobra (Bo's Art Trio, 2002/2004)
• Change this Song (Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher, 2006)
• Hosting Changes (Michiel Braam's Wurli Trio, 2006)
• Extremen (Bik Bent Braam, 2008)
• Non-Functionals (Michiel Braam's Wurli Trio, 2008)
• Quartet (Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher, 2009)
• Quintet (Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher, 2010)
• On The Move (Michiel Braam's Hybrid 10tet, 2011)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Loewy, Steve. "Michiel Braam: Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/michiel-braam-p392791/biography. Retrieved 10 November 2011. 

External links

• Michiel Braams Homepage
• Michiel Braam Facebook
• Michiel Braam Twitter

Persondata
Name	Braam, Michiel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	17 May 1964
Place of birth	Nijmegen
Date of death
Place of death