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Robin Verheyen
Robin Verheyen studied for 3 years in Belgium, 2 years in the Netherlands and 1 year in New York with Dave Liebman, Steve Slagle, Frank Vaganée, Jasper Blom, Ferdinand Povel, Dick Oatts, John Ruocco… In Amsterdam he graduated with the highest possible score and at Manhattan School of Music he got a place on the Dean’s List. In 2001 when he was only 18 years old Robin Verheyen played with a Big Band directed by Maria Schneider at the Jazz Middelheim Festival. In 2002 Brussels Jazz he was a prizewinner at the International Jazz Contest of Hoeilaart with his quartet Gromm. On the Getxo Jazz Contest 2004 in Spain he was awarded the Prize of Best Soloist.
In Belgium Robin worked at a young age with reknown groups such as Pierre van Dormael Vivaces, Brussels Jazz Orchestra,…
His own projects at this moment are Robin Verheyen Int. Quartet with pianist Bill Carrothers, bassist Nic Thys, and drummer Dré Pallemaerts and a new NY-based pianoless quartet with trumpet player Ralph Alessi, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Flin van Hemmen. With his Int. Quartet with Bill Carrothers he just released the cd 'Painting Space' on the label W.E.R.F.
He co-leads Orvalectiq, a sextet with Dré Pallemaerts or Flin Van Hemmen (drums), Pierre Van Dormael (guitar), Otti Van der Werf or Jean-Luc Lehr (bass), Joachim Saerens (keyboards) and Bert Hornix (loops & sounds). It is a band that works on the fusion between jazz and electronic music.
He also co-leads the band Narcissus with bassist Clemens Van der Feen and drummer Flin van Hemmen and guests pianist Jozef Dumoulin and guitarist Guillermo Celano. They presented their cd ‘Narcissus’ with their former pianist Harmen Fraanje on a tour through Europe in March and April 2006. A new recording is planned for the fall of 2008.
Till the summer of 2006 he also played in Saxkartel ( with Kurt Van Herck, Sara Meyer and Tom Van Dyck) In 2006 they won the Grand Prix Du Jury on the Tremplin Jazz Avignon In France.
In 2005 Robin moved to Paris where he lived till July 2006. He established himself very fast on the French jazz scene and is currently playing in the band of Italian trumpet player Giovanni Falzone, the band of bass-player and drummer Remi Vignolo, and beside that he works regularly with people like Brazilian guitar-player Nelson Veras, pianist Bruno Angelini,..... With the Giovanni Falzone European Ensemble he released the cd ‘Meeting in Paris’ on the Italian label Soulnote. This release was followed by a European tour in October-November 2006. He’s also a member of the Belfin Quartet with the Finish pianist Aki Rissanen, Finish drummer Ville Pynssi and Belgian bassist Joachim Florent. They played in July at the La Defense Competition in Paris where they got the Prize of Best Composition for their whole repertoire. The collaboration with pianist Rissanen continues in their duo project. They recorded a cd in September 2007 which will be released soon.
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Marc Copland Quartet: Someday
by Dan McClenaghan
Marc Copland is a former saxophonist who found his instrument artistically confining for the purposes of expressing his vision. So he called on his childhood piano training (synaptic memories intact) to make the switch to the keyboard. The results have been magic. His artistry with the 88s is second only to the late Bill Evans, and an argument for his surpassing of Evans could be made. His discography boasts more than forty albums as a leader, beginning in 1988 with ...
read moreVerheyen, Copland, van der Feen, McPherson Live at BIMHUIS Amsterdam
by BIMHUIS
Robin Verheyen can switch effortlessly between jazz, rock and Bach, but concentrates on acoustic improvisation with his New York quartet. The Flemish saxophonist performed recently at the BIMHUIS, accompanied by his band TaxiWars, which features dEUS frontman and cult indie legend Tom Barman. Verheyen lived in Brussels and Paris before moving to New York, where he is making waves for, among other things, his collaborations with some of the greats of improvisation, such as Marc Copland, Gary Peacock ...
read moreRobin Verheyen: When The Birds Leave
by Don Phipps
Saxophonist Robin Verheyen exhibits a range of musical emotions on his album When the Birds Leave. Backed by an empathetic rhythm section of top-notch players (pianist Marc Copland, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Billy Hart), Verheyen explores a group of ebullient, introspective, and sometimes challenging compositions. Verheyen is capable of great expressiveness with his saxophone. The album begins with his composition Rest Mode," a track that implies a shade of mystery. The sax solo poses questions that are ...
read moreRobin Verheyen: Starbound
by Dan McClenaghan
Belgian-born/ New York-based saxophonist Robin Verheyen has crafted, on Starbound, an engaging form of lively chamber jazz--a label that often denotes a more sedate listening experience.Verheyen plays tenor and soprano saxophones, but here leans more toward the straight horn. The set opens with a spring-in-its-step romp, On the House." The ensemble bubbles and burns, as pianist Bill Carrothers lays down quirky grooves behind Verhayen's sugary tone, while bassist Nicolas Thys and drummer Dre Pallemaerts sizzle along with implacable ...
read morePrimary Instrument
Saxophone