Live Concert
Michiel Borstlap at Jazztage, Mannheim (Germany)
March 24, 2000
Not every Dutchman can claim one of
his compositions has been recorded by Herbie Hancock and
Wayne Shorter ("1+1" - Verve). At the age of 5, Michiel
started touching the keys. Barely 25 years later he
had two international palmares : he was named as
The Best Soloist at the Europ Jazz Contest 1992 ,
held in Brussels. In 1996 he won the prestigious
Thelonious Monk Composers Award (the presentation
of this Award was a true happening. At the
attendance of several American celebrities (Quincy
Jones, Stevie Wonder, Al Gore and the whole
american jazz society, Herbie Hancock and Wayne
Shorter played his award winning song for TV (ABC
& CNN) and radio (NPR).
As much as jazz has become international music, Michiel
Borstlap has become an international musician and composer.
He has learned over the years to move away from the
traditional set of conventions of what jazz must be and how
it must sound.
His development can be traced on a number of albums.
Borstlap is his own man and he will surprise the world of
jazz for many years to come. Until now he played/recorded
with renowed artists such as Jimmy Haslip, Les Paul, James
Genus, Han Bennink, Ernst Reijseger, Hans Dulfer, Essiet
Okon Essiet, and Roy Hargrove.
A continuum in his musical development plus those awards
leaded to another remarkable milestone in a musician' s
career : an exclusive recording contract with the UNIVERSAL
MUSIC GROUP, resulting in 4 album release on the prestigious
jazzlabel EmArCy/VERVE.
Since 1992 Michiel leads his own groups. Big hits are : the
Han Bennink/Michiel Borstlap/Ernst Glerum Trio (played
between New York, Amsterdam, Budapest and Sidney); The
Michiel Borstlap Sextet (the takin'off group of Borstlap in
1992, the band played between Barcelona, Belfast, Amsterdam,
Beijing and Shanghai), and of course his most recent project
the Michiel Borstlap Group BODY ACOUSTIC. This group helped
Borstlap records his VERVE debut in 1999. The group played
on several VERVE nights at renowed festival like the Umbria
Jazz Fest., Berliner Jazztage, and the North Sea
jazzfestival. In 2000 many festivals are scheduled, a.o. in
South Africa, Germany, Australia and Japan.
The album Body Acoustic was the best sold dutch jazz record
of 1999, and was ranked #2 in the national jazzcharts,
between Branford Marsalis and Cassandra Wilson.
Internationally the album has been released in Europe,
Astralia, Japan (2/00) and North America (5/00) Michiel
moved the scene of jazz in the Netherlands by gaining
attention on public and commercial TV networks, where he
presented his own music time after time. Yamaha Grand Pianos
is endorsing the pianist since 1996 on a worldwide
basis.
For the next millenium, Michiel is preparing new endeavours
: solo concerts (his first in the main hall of the Amsterdam
Concertgebouw was already a succes), and a flirt with
Dance/clubbing music has been also commenced.
Press quotes "cristaline pianoplaying" - New York Times
(USA) "utterly magnificent" - Belfast Cronicle (N- Ireland)
"remarkable pianist" - Sidney Morning Herald (Australia)
"spellbounding" - Beijing Post (China) "diamond" - Jazzthing
(Germany) "extremely competent" - Joe Zawinul (linernote of
Body Acoustic).
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