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Award winning dutch pianist Michiel Borstlap has built himself an enviable reputation as one of the foremost pianists of the last decade. The music of Borstlap embraces the rich pianistical heritage of his heroes Glenn Gould, Sviatoslav Richter, Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett & Joe Zawinul. Michiel Borstlap, who started to play piano at the age of 4, has worked with some of the greatest musicians in the world including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Gino Vannelli, Bill Bruford, Jimmy Haslip, Pat Metheny, Metropole Orchestra, Han Bennink, Trijntje Oosterhuis, George Duke, Les Paul and Jeff Watts. With each one of them, or all alone, he played the festivals in the world. Michiel Borstlap is widely considered as one of main forces of the vibrant European jazzscene. The Emir of Qatar commissioned Michiel Borstlap to compose the world's first Opera in Arabic, Opera Avicenna. You can find a photographic summary at the SPECIALS page of this website. In 2006 he wrote a book about these adventures, entitled Opera in Qatar, published by Van Oorschot Amsterdam. He is also a columnist for Esquire. Michiel has composed several film scores for ao. LAST LOOKS (by American director Barry Alexander Brown), and TIRAMISU (by Dutch director Paula van der Oest). For this soundtrack Michiel Borstlap received the prestigious Gouden Kalf 2008, the Grand Prize of Dutch film industry for Best Music. His album ELDORADO reached the top 30 of Dutch album popcharts. Michiel Borstlap has released 18 albums as (co)leader. In 2009 Michiel Borstlap received the Edison Jazz Award ( with the band BBG ) for the album MONK. Michiel is currently touring with his new album SOLO 2010. Concerts in 2010 are scheduled in Italy, Belgium, Lithuania, USA, Hungary, Switzerland ao. |
| Awards: 2009 - Edison Jazz Award (Monk, BBG) 2008 - Golden Calf Best Score (grand prize of dutch film industry) 1996 - Thelonious Monk / BMI Composers Award 1992 - Europe Jazz Contest (Prize for Best Soloist) Quotes: 'If Borstlap was a drug he'd be illegal' (Harry Schnipper - CEO Blues Alley Washington DC) 'Chrystalline pianoplaying' (New York Times) 'Amongst the most complete pianists in Jazz' (JazzWise UK) 'Borstlap belongs to an extraordinary category' (Dutch GPD) Sponsors: IWC Schaffhausen Hans Ubbink Michiel Borstlap is ambassador of.....
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Eclectic Jazzman Michiel Borstlap COVERSTORY WHAT'S ON - KIEV (UKRAINE)
Michiel Borstlap is one of the most interesting phenomena in contemporary jazz music: he combines massive musical talent, a lively manner on stage and an outstanding gift for composition and improvisation with a deep interest in experimenting musically. A winner of the important Thelonious Monk Composers Award in 1996, Borstlap has performed around the world on the most prestigious of stages. This February, the esteemed jazzman comes to Kyiv.
Michiel Borstlap was born in the Netherlands into a family that loved and constantly listened to good music. At the age of four I heard jazz and fell in love, he says. After that I always dreamed about making a career in music, in jazz in particular. My mother loved Oscar Peterson and Gustav Mahler and my dad loved Thelonious Monk, J.S. Bach and Jimi Hendrix. That was my musical education! I owe my parents big-time for their love of music, which they shared with me at such a young age.
Michiel moved quickly from dreaming to reality, graduating from Hilversum Conservatory in 1992 and earning Best Soloist honours at the Europe Jazz Contest the same year. Four years later came the Thelonius Monk Award and then a range of successful collaborations with legends like Herbie Hancock, Bill Bruford, Gino Vannelli, Wayne Shorter and others.
Borstlap has released eight albums under his own name and has written numerous compositions for other groups, both jazz and classical. In fact, Borstlap is a natural at both composing and performing. When I ask which of these two is more important to him, his answer is simple: To compose or to improvise is the same, except for the timeframe. Improvising happens in split seconds, composing lasts much longer. I could be happy with just a piano, but somehow I need a stage. On stage there is electricity. I would be less happy if I didnt have that in life. That electricity I havent found anywhere else. The more famous you are, the more you get on stage. The stage is the place where I live.
Improvisation remains central to Borstlaps music. ?With the band we combine groove with the so-called intelligent stuff, but all in an improvisational way. That makes life on stage at times risky, but that?s the way I want to make music.? This risk and the adrenaline rush, of course, is what attracts both musicians and the audience to jazz music. I ask Michiel to define jazz and he says, Jazz is freedom, while managing the instruments technique. I love freedom. Its a unique feeling to go with your head full of music and improvise for an audience along with the band. I heard that freedom when I listened to Art Tatum, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Miles, Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, etc.
Borstlaps bold collaboration with British drummer Bill Bruford, perhaps most famous for playing with King Crimson, is one of the most interesting projects in modern improvised music, and their CD In Two Minds, with its intimate and conversational tracks, met with much success in Europe. Last year Borstlap also released his own nu-jazz album, titled Eldorado. Nu-jazz is a daring combination of funk, soul, electronic music and (of course) improvisation.
Getting into opera
Apart from his studio work, Borstlap actively tours around the world, including in such far-flung countries as Japan, China, Tanzania and India. His travels inspire him. People affect me. I need contact with people, it makes me run faster. People around the world are different and yet so similar. They appreciate similar things. People from all over the world connect, but it seems that neighbours are fighting everywhere. Human beings are equal, it doesn?t matter where you are. Everybody has their own beauty and through travelling it became easier to discover these beauties. When I heard the Middle Eastern Farid al Atrash playing the ud it certainly influenced my playing on the piano. It all fell into place when I composed the worlds first Arabic opera. An opera was the perfect way to combine the musical experiences of the world.
Ukraine is another exotic country to him. I have never been in Ukraine, but I heard marvellous things about the people and their talents. I am very much looking forward to the concerts, says Michiel.
I ask Michiel to imagine a day when all music has disappeared, and I get quite the response. That would be terrible. Then he laughs. Well, then I would go to a remote place on earth and enjoy the sunshine. I have enjoyed the flying lessons Ive had, so maybe I would become a pilot, maybe because I like travelling. Otherwise I would be a painter. I like designing, too. Apart from music I write: a book and columns in Esquire.
For now, music is safe in the world, and Michiel says he has never without it. Mostly my record player is running in random mode. There are about 20,000 songs on it. Today I listened to Hed Kandi (a British DJ collective I occasionally perform with), Sviatoslav Richter, Kenny Kirkland, Oscar Peterson, Dutch singer Trijntje Oosterhuis, Mary J. Blige and a remix of my song Pretty Baby by DJ Brian Dalton.
Says Michiel, When I make music I am a very happy man. Music has the power to reach people, the power to relate to people in a different way and make people feel good.