Rein De Graaff
Rein De Graaff (Groningen, The Netherlands, 24 October 1942) is a Dutch ja… Read Full Bio ↴Rein De Graaff (Groningen, The Netherlands, 24 October 1942) is a Dutch jazz pianist, composer and producer.
Born in Groningen and raised in Veendam, Rein learned about jazz, thanks to the bunch of 78rpm records his grandfather bought when the war was over, to play on his new gramophone. One of those records was Skyliner by Charlie Barnet, recorded in 1944. The tune Skyliner would inspire Rein to play his first music on a plastic saxophone-toy-kazoo and later at a real Hohner harmonica, his grandmother bought for him. Early 1950s the piano was introduced in the house and Rein started to improvise, inspired by the music of Winifred Atwell. One of the first records Rein bought was the After School Blues played by the young wonder boy of those days Sugar Chile Robinson.
As a teenager Rein joined the school band of the Winkler Prins Lyceum, which played a kind of dixieland music, popular in those days and his first public concert must have been at the Parkhotel in Hoogezand where the band joined a school party. Pete Felleman, host of the popular Dutch radio jazz program Swing and Sweet from 52nd Street introduced him to legends like Benny Carter, Johnny Hodges and … Charlie Parker. In 1958 he bought his first bebop record, featuring Charlie Parker, with the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars Quintet ….. a 45rpm Pathé EP record.
Graduated from high school ( the HBS in Holland), he joined the German band Mister Adams Jazzopators, a band that played traditional jazz but also mainstream and, although he never became a full-professional jazz musician, this gig was the start of a long musical career which brought him to the US to play with great names like Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon, Clark Terry, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan and dozens of other bebop musicians, some now almost forgotten.
In 1964 he started with saxophonist Dick Vennik the Rein de Graaff-Dick Vennik Quartet and early 1970s his own trio was born, featuring Eric Ineke, his time keeper for more then 40 years on drums and Henk Haverhoek and later Koos Serierse and Marius Beets on double bass.
With his trio Rein organized short tours, labeled as Stoomcursus Bebop (= Crash Course Bebop) or that kind of names, at Dutch and Belgian jazz jazz venues with legendary bebop musicians like Johnny Griffin, Charles McPherson, Curtis Fuller, Gary Foster, Houston Person, Pete Christlieb, Herb Geller and dozens and dozens other, almost forgotten jazz legends.
Born in Groningen and raised in Veendam, Rein learned about jazz, thanks to the bunch of 78rpm records his grandfather bought when the war was over, to play on his new gramophone. One of those records was Skyliner by Charlie Barnet, recorded in 1944. The tune Skyliner would inspire Rein to play his first music on a plastic saxophone-toy-kazoo and later at a real Hohner harmonica, his grandmother bought for him. Early 1950s the piano was introduced in the house and Rein started to improvise, inspired by the music of Winifred Atwell. One of the first records Rein bought was the After School Blues played by the young wonder boy of those days Sugar Chile Robinson.
As a teenager Rein joined the school band of the Winkler Prins Lyceum, which played a kind of dixieland music, popular in those days and his first public concert must have been at the Parkhotel in Hoogezand where the band joined a school party. Pete Felleman, host of the popular Dutch radio jazz program Swing and Sweet from 52nd Street introduced him to legends like Benny Carter, Johnny Hodges and … Charlie Parker. In 1958 he bought his first bebop record, featuring Charlie Parker, with the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars Quintet ….. a 45rpm Pathé EP record.
Graduated from high school ( the HBS in Holland), he joined the German band Mister Adams Jazzopators, a band that played traditional jazz but also mainstream and, although he never became a full-professional jazz musician, this gig was the start of a long musical career which brought him to the US to play with great names like Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon, Clark Terry, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan and dozens of other bebop musicians, some now almost forgotten.
In 1964 he started with saxophonist Dick Vennik the Rein de Graaff-Dick Vennik Quartet and early 1970s his own trio was born, featuring Eric Ineke, his time keeper for more then 40 years on drums and Henk Haverhoek and later Koos Serierse and Marius Beets on double bass.
With his trio Rein organized short tours, labeled as Stoomcursus Bebop (= Crash Course Bebop) or that kind of names, at Dutch and Belgian jazz jazz venues with legendary bebop musicians like Johnny Griffin, Charles McPherson, Curtis Fuller, Gary Foster, Houston Person, Pete Christlieb, Herb Geller and dozens and dozens other, almost forgotten jazz legends.
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Rein De Graaff Lyrics
How High the Moon Somewhere there's music How faint the tune Somewhere there…
I Cover the Waterfront I cover the waterfront, I'm watching the sea, Will the one I…
I'll Remember April This lovely day will lengthen into evening We'll sigh goodb…
Just Friends Just friends, lovers no more Just friends, but not like befo…