I was about 8 years old when a young Dutch trumpet player Marty appeared in the Willem Duys show with his golden trumpet, playing his hit Moon serenade. That was an eye opener I wanted to play the trumpet and that feeling only became stronger when my mother started talking about songs like Il Silenzio. So I joined the fanfare (wind orchestra) Nos Jungit Apollo around the age of 9 in Rooi . First we were taught reading music by Harry van Esch with his beautiful handwriting. He named the notes invariably referred to: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si while he added that we should later name them: c, d, e, f, g, a, b, c. He meant well. Then after a few months the instruments were provided. While I wanted to be Marty’s successor, my mum came up with the idea that I should play the saxophone because Uncle Grard did that so beautifully. It felt like I said mom: “I like a dog” and I got a cat. There was also the fact that I got my hands on a soprano sax. It didn’t even look like a sax. Far too many buttons on that horn and my long road as a musician also seemed to be going to shit. But I still got a second chance on a flugelhorn, baritone and trombone, but around the age of 12 it was over. It must have been around the age of 14 that I became a member of the Brabant band that was a trumpeter and chase horn corps that was created from the name Kajotter’s drum band and they were still marching but that trumpet I got my hands on only had 1 valve (which was never used, by the way) I kept that up for a few years and at that time I was at a carnival club (’t Skrothupke) that started its own chapel under the guidance of Peer van der Heijden, that’s where I got my hands on a real trumpet for the first time with 3 valves. And within a few months we played German Schlagers and Onze Ouwe Sint Jan. Around the age of 18 I went back to the fanfare and I start on an Eb bass tuba and I was taught by Martin (Molly) van de Kamp. Then things fell into place. A bass was completely my thing
The period in Baarle Nassau ends after 10 years and in ‘97 we move back to Rooi because our house in Schijndel was not yet ready. At ‘99 my wedding was also ready and it was during the carnival in Rooi in 2000 that Peer van der Heijden said to me, you will come to NJA, right? A week later I was back at the rehearsal. A tuba was picked up from the depot and I started again. At that time I had 1 lesson from Joost van Genugten because he studied bass tuba at the Conservatory in Tilburg. Carlo Balemans was the conductor at that time. That’s where I met ‘m. Every now and then I also played bass guitar at the fanfare, but it remained a bit of a fuss in the margins Then I had 3 bass guitars during a performance and I played them alternately with the bass tuba.
The period 2000 to 2008 at NJA was important but a struggle . Gradually my playing becomes purer and I realize that I am favoured with a very nice tone, but that I will never become a virtuoso who can play a lot of notes. Now that I know that it is my strength. In 2007 I have to stop temporarily honking my horn because I have recovered from heart failure. That period I did percussion (if I am not in the hospital) but at the beginning of 2008 I stated blowing the tuba again. Peter (my youngest son) is also in the brass band and that is a special period. But there comes a time when the type of music is going to disappoint me. Competition numbers seem to be written to be complex while that is at the expense I think it’s beautiful about musicality. Complex music, but it must be true. In addition, I had been working on the piece Excalibur for a year and that was going to bother me. First it was imposed for the association competition, then we went to the top competition with it and eventually I joined the fanfare in Zijtaard that went on a competition with the same section. This added to the fact that after my divorce I first lived in den Bosch for a period of 4 years, then in Rooi for a year and I finally moved to Dommelen at the end of 2004
Big band Nightshift has already been mentioned and I will end up there around April 2010 and I must honestly say, I wasn’t ready yet. It’s been a matter of toil and getting opportunities (the favorability factor also played a role) but gradually I became a real bassist. I can proudly say that I am a full-time amateur. That means I do it because I love it.
The double bass takes over and the bass guitar takes on a minor role. It sometimes happens that I didn’t touch things for weeks because something inside me tends towards that double bass again and again. It’s the attitude I think and the sound.
During the time with the big band, a number of conductors are reviewed. While hooking up, the band is led by Wilfried van de Zande. It will stay for another five years or so. Then there are some wanderings with temporary conductors (including Rinus) and it will be around 2014 when Joris Minten takes the lead. Joris is a fantastic trumpeter of light music and it places particular emphasis on technique and dynamics. With him we also survived the Corona period. After the first concert after the quarantine, he says that he will stop with us and he suggests that he continue with Alex Loiacono. Alex had already filled in a few times and he had a different approach than Joris. Alex is about meaning and your role in the whole. That little Italian had impressed and we quickly got out as a band and some may not have realized what the result was. Big band is not so much a style, but more of a setup that allows you to handle a wide range of repertoire, is his firm belief and the effect is palpable.
Bass guitar is now my prime instrument because of our current playlist, but I will not forget Double bass. It’s a lot of luggage but that’s part of life
Bass player
A skilled musician with the ability to perform without any kind of pointless drama. Often found in a relaxed state and slightly amused by the fairly ridiculous posturing of other band members