Eric Vloeimans (Huizen, 1963) is an improvising trumpeter and composer who regards the term ‘jazz’ as too limiting to describe his music. His work is characterized by melodic and lyrical power, and a distinctive, individual sound that is called velvety or whispering in the more subdued pieces.
From 2006/2007 Eric Vloeimans has been active with two much-praised formations: the chamber jazz trio Fugimundi (Anton Goudsmit guitar, Harmen Fraanje piano) and the electric band Gatecrash, in which rock and funk elements can be traced (Jeroen van Vliet keyboards, Gulli Gudmundsson bass, Jasper van Hulten drums). With the latter group, he employs electronic effects in his trumpet playing for the first time.
In addition, he continues to develop other projects, such as the band Oliver’s Cinema with accordion player Tuur Florizoone and cellist Jörg Brinkmann (CD available from August 2013, and a US tour in October 2014)) , and a duo with pianist Florian Weber, with a CD release : Live at the Concertgebouw in 2011.
His broad range of interests has led Vloeimans to collaborate with artists from other musical worlds. In the pop music area, these include Fay Lovsky, Doe Maar, Spinvis, Jan Akkerman and trumpeter Kyteman (Colin Benders). Where world music is concerned, Vloeimans was involved in projects with flamenco guitarist Eric Vaarzon Morel, Latin pianist Ramon Valle, and the fado-inspired Pessoa of Fernando Lameirinhas.
Vloeimans has performed as a soloist with classical ensembles such as the Matangi Quartet, the Calefax Reed Quintet, the Metropole Orchestra, the Gelderland Orchestra, the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, the Holland Baroque Society, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
2011 saw the premiere of his first trumpet concerto, Evensong, with the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, orchestrated by Martin Fondse, and recorded for CD with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra.

Pierre Courbois (1940) is one of the few ‘living legends’ of the Dutch Jazz World. He studied percussion, composition and piano at the Hogeschool der Kunsten (HKA) in Arnhem. In 1960 Pierre left for Paris and worked with a number of jazz giants (i.e. Kenny Drew, Stan Getz and Johnny Griffin) at the legendary jazz club, the Blue Note. He has taken part in countless international jazz ensembles, toured throughout the whole world and has over time appeared on a great number of albums. He has also played with the legendary saxophonists Ben Webster and Eric Dolphy, the pianists Mal Waldron, Jasper van ‘t Hof and Rein de Graaff, horn players Willem Breuker, Hans Dulfer and Theo Loevendie, the Gunter Hampel Group and the European Jazz Quintet. Courbois was one of the first musicians in Europe to experiment with improvised music or ‘Free Jazz.’ Later he won the famous Down Beat Poll with his Association PC, the first European ‘Rock-Jazz’ group, that existed 1969-1992. In 1992 Pierre started a quintet under his own name and for the first time in his career performed pieces, composed by himself. Despite the rise of fusion and neo-bop, Courbois has shown with his quintet that the Mingus style of jazz is still full of life. In order to realize his ideas about composition and improvisation, Courbois has brought together one of the most talented ensembles in the Netherlands. The group consists of the musicians of the sextet, except Jasper Blom and Egon Kracht instead of Niko Langenhuijsen). The quintet has recorded Courbois’s compositions on ‘Réouverture’ (1994, re-issued by A-Records in 1996(AL-73070), followed by ‘Live in Germany’ (AL-73071).
”intense swinging music…superior technical quality…a special piece in Dutch jazz.” (Jazz Nu).