Biography

Eric Vloeimans (1963) is an improvising trumpeter and composer who finds the term 'jazz' too restrictive for his music. His work is characterized by a melodic and lyrical force, and a characteristic, individual sound that is called velvety or whispering in the more subdued pieces. His motto is: 'I make music for millions, but I haven't reached all of them yet'. However, he never gives in to the taste of the general public, and always remains himself.
Vloeimans studied at the Rotterdam Conservatory; initially classical trumpet, later on jazz training. In the United States he took lessons with Donald Byrd and was part of the big bands of Frank Foster and Mercer Ellington.

In the early 1990s, Vloeimans is considered to be one of a generation of young musicians who combines bebop with influences from rock and the typically Dutch free improvisation, but he soon develops his own unmistakable sound and style. He has been leading his own quartet from the start, making his record debut in 1991 (No Realistics). In 2006 this group was succeeded by the chamber jazz trio Fugimundi (with pianist Harmen Fraanje and guitarist Anton Goudsmit).
Since 2007 the trumpeter has been very active with his electric band Gatecrash, in which funk and rock elements resound (with Jeroen van Vliet on keyboards). , Gulli Gudmundsson on bass guitar and Jasper van Hulten on drums). It is often referred to as Vloeimans' personal version of 'electric Miles'. He also continues to develop other projects, such as the group Oliver's Cinema, with accordionist Tuur Florizoone and cellist Jörg Brinkmann, with whom he creates 'soundtracks for imaginary films'. He also regularly performs in duo with the German pianist Florian Weber, with whom he released the CD Live at the Concertgebouw in 2011.

Over the years Eric Vloeimans has entered into various one-off partnerships with like-minded musicians at home and abroad. The album Bitches and Fairy Tales with pianist John Taylor, bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron gave him his first Edison in 1998. His extensive musical resume resembles a Who's Who of contemporary jazz, with greats such as guitarist Nguyên Lê, bass guitarist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Peter Erskine and pianist Jarmo Savolainen.

In 2001 Vloeimans was awarded the Boy Edgar Prize, in 2002 the Bird Award from the North Sea Jazz Festival. The CDs VoizNoiz 3 (with Michel Banabila, 2003) Summersault (with Fugimundi, 2006) and Gatecrashin' (with Gatecrash, 2007) also won an Edison. In 2011, Eric Vloeimans received the Golden Nutcracker, and in 2016 the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Noord Brabant Muziekprijs. Due to his broad interests, Vloeimans has collaborated with artists from other musical worlds. In the pop field, these include Fay Lovsky, Doe Maar, Spinvis, Jan Akkerman and trumpeter Kyteman (Colin Benders). Kytecrash, the combination of his hip-hop band and Gatecrash, led to successful performances in 2011 and an eponymous CD. In the world music sector, the trumpeter has been involved in collaborations with flamenco guitarist Eric Vaarzon Morel, Latin pianist Ramón Valle and singer/guitarist Fernando Lameirinhas' fado-inspired project Pessoa. Vloeimans has performed as a soloist with classical ensembles such as the Matangi Quartet, the Calefax Reed Quintet, the Metropole Orkest, the Gelders Orkest, the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, the Holland Baroque, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Residentie Orkest, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.< /p>

In 2011, his first trumpet concerto, Evensong, orchestrated by Martin Fondse, was premiered with the Limburg Symphony Orchestra. It was later recorded on CD with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra. Eric Vloeimans was artistic director of the Netherlands Youth Jazz Orchestra 2013. In 2014 he played the King's Concerto for King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima, he was principal artist of the National Tattoo, and played 15 concerts with Oliver's Cinema in the United States. In the 2015/2016 season, the trumpeter toured various stages in Europe with harpist Remy van Kesteren. In 2018 he toured with Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, presenting their album Levanter. Later that year, the Argentine pianist Juan Pablo Dobal was his concert partner in the Netherlands. Their CD Viento Zonda received glowing reviews. In November 2015 Vloeimans published his play-along book Horn of Plenty (V-Flow edition); the second part followed in November 2019. He coaches big bands and wind and fanfare orchestras and is active as a conductor, arranger and composer. He was asked in 2016, 2017 and 2018