A beautiful, lyrical album containing seven originals & four standards with legendary drummer John Engels from Holland.

11 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Piano Jazz, JAZZ: Mainstream Jazz



Details:
Biography Dirk Balthaus

Dirk was born in 1965 in Oberhausen, Germany, and started to play piano at the age of 6.
He played church organ for a while and through teacher Wolfgang Schwering he came in contact with improvised music. At the age of 15 he discovered jazz in Kuroâs Jazzkeller, a club in his hometown Oberhausen. There he heard pianist Peter Walter from Essen, whose lessons had a big influence on Dirk. He spent many hours listening to the music of Miles and Monk, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Billy Holiday, John Scofield, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett and other great players from jazz history.
After completing high school and civil service he moved the Netherlands to study jazz piano at the Conservatory in Hilversum. His teachers include Frans Elsen, Henk Elkerbout and Rob Madna. After finishing conservatory in 1991, Dirk moved to Amsterdam where he immersed himself in full-fledged jazzdom: listening to and playing as much jazz as possible.
In 1994, with Bert Lochs (trumpet/flugelhorn), Sven Schuster (bass) and Steve Altenberg (drums) he formed a quartet and recorded his first CD âtales of the frogâ. Since then he is an active member of the European jazz scene. His talent has taken him to many countries including Jamaica, France, Spain, Romania, Germany, Belgium, Slovenia, Scotland, England, Turkey, and the USA.
He has performed on stage with:
Ack van Rooyen, Benny Baily, Lee Konitz, Lew Tabackin, Dale Barlow, Clarence Becton, John Engels, Herb Geller, Ben Herman, Jack Parnell, Bud Shank, Eric Vloeimans and many more.
Beside his Trio activities he plays and composes for the band âJuzzFlirtinâ with American vocalist Léah Kline. He is a permanent member of Joan Reinderâs Millennium Jazz Orchestra.
In 2006 Dirk founded the Jazz record label Hi5 Records whose first projects are the recording and release of the CDâs âGershwinâ âJuzzFlirtinâ and âAmsterdam Jamâ.

Website: www.dirkbalthaus.com

Discography:

- Cotton Club All Stars: âAmsterdam Jamâ rec. 2007, Hi5 Records
- Léah Kline: âJuzz Flirtinâ rec. 2007, Theatrics/Hi5 Records
- Balthaus/Lumeij/Grimbergen: âGershwinâ rec. 2006, Hi5 Records
- Deep River Quartet: âOld Skool Harmonyâ rec. 2006, DeepRiver
- Henriette Andersen: âHeart and Songâ rec. 2005, TWA Music
- George Carlo M.: âSmooth Roadâ rec. 2004, Munich Records
- Volker Winck Quartet: âBody & Soulâ rec. 2003
- Willem Hellbreker Quartet: âResonanceâ rec. 2003, Munich Records
- Dirk Balthaus Trio: âOn Childrenâs Groundâ rec. 2002, Munich Records
- Jan Molenaar BigBand: âTravelin' Lightâ rec. 2000, Molenaar Edition
- Sean Jamaal: âThe Billy Holiday Songbookâ, rec. 2000
- Dirk Balthaus Sextet: âThe Healingâ rec. 1997, Via Records
- Hot Bolshevik: âPost Cold War Grooveâ, rec. 1995, Red Boogie Record Co.
- Balthaus/Lochs Quartet: âTales of the frogâ rec. 1994, acoustic music records