BIOGRAPHY
JOEP VAN LEEUWEN
Guitarist / Composer / Educator / Publicist / Recording Artist / Manager
In the end it’s not the instrument but the music that counts …
Joep van Leeuwen plays melodic modern Jazz. His style is modest and even though the roots of Bebop and Hardbop are audible, his preference for cool jazz is evident, however without being cold! He is interested in real, genuine, swinging jazz and has an almost genetic aversion against superficiality.
His compositions range from jazz themes and fully composed music to extended pieces in Third Stream style where composed sections alternate with improvised passages. Remarkable are his pieces for duo’s like trombone & guitar and church organ & guitar/synthesizer guitar. His cross-over compositions include pieces for string quartet expanded with guitar and bass and saxophone quartet with jazz guitar.
CD'S
1995: Meditation - Solo Jazz Guitar (out of print)
2005: How Deep Is the Ocean? Duo with Janice Lakers (voc)
2005: Good Bait - Trio with Janice Lakers (voc), Jean Borlee (d-b)
2008: It Could Happen to You - Solo Jazz Guitar, liner notes John Abercrombie.
2011: Jazz Guitar Meets Church Organ Duo with Gero Körner (pipe organ) Liner notes Jasper van ‘t Hof
2014: The Dance and the Blues duo with Jack Coenen (trombone).
PERFORMER
With Maastricht, Holland as his basis he has performed in Holland, Belgium, Germany and France in venues ranging from jazz clubs to international jazz festivals like als Jazz à Liège, Jazz Mecca, Music Nights and three times for the Montreux Jazz Festival. Joep van Leeuwen performs from solo jazz guitar to big band, in styles ranging from Swing to Nu Jazz, switching easily from acoustic guitar, to amplified guitars and to synthesizer guitar.
1992
Maastricht Jazz Mecca / Joep van Leeuwen Euregio trio
1998
Maastricht Music Nights (Duo with Jack Coenen, trombone)
1999
Montreux Jazz festival (Duo with Jack Coenen, trombone)
2000
Montreux Jazz festival (Duo with Jack Coenen, trombone)
2003
Montreux Jazz festival (Duo with Mark Nightingale, trombone)
2005
Jazzfestival Liège with Robert Jeanne quartet
2006
Moulin de Broukay with Nu Jazz band Don’t Git Sassy
2007
Jazzpromenade Maastricht, trio with singer Susanne Schneider & Jack Coenen
2008
Jazzfestival Liège solo guitar in VIP-room
2008
Jazzpromenade Maastricht, duo with singer Susanne Schneider / Jazzpromenade Maastricht with Nu Jazz band Don’t Git Sassy
2010
Jazzpromenade Maastricht premiere of Jazz Guitar meets Churh Organ in four churches.
1992 –part 1993
Joep van Leeuwen trio every Thursday at “De Andere Wereld”, Maastricht.
1993
Weekly solo Jazz Guitar at Café Opera in Aachen, Germany
1994-1995-part 1996
Weekly solo Jazz Guitar at cafe De Muze, Maastricht
1999
Weekly trio at Cafe des Artistes, Vrijthof Maastricht
1997
Weekly duo’s at Servaes, Maastricht
2000- 2001
Weekly Jeudi Jam duo with guests in Soundstation, Liège, Belgium
2007
Weekly duo at La Capitainerie, Liège Belgium
2014
Weekly International trio at the Kruisherenhotel Maastricht
2018
Weekly International trio at the Wienkontor, Maastricht
2018
Weekly at La Colombe, Maastricht
2019
Weekly at La Colombe, Maastricht
2021
Weekly solo jazz guitar at Horse’s Tale, Hasselt (august-december)
Sept. 2016 – Jan. 2020
Jack Million big band every first Monday of the month, September – June.
Maastricht Conservatory, Jazz Department, University level education, professor of:
1985 – March 2022
1. Jazz Guitar 2. History of Jazz (1987) 3. Ensemble/combo Playing (1987)
1992 - 1997
Board member of IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators)
1993 - 1997
European Coordinator IAJE
1995 - 2001
Co-head of Jazz Department Maastricht Conservatory
1996 - 2007
Head of Master program of Conservatories Maastricht & Tilburg
1975 - 1980
Music School Heerlen guitar teacher
1994
Maastricht Jazz Mecca / Joep van Leeuwen Euregio trio
1999
Maastricht Music Nights (Duo with Jack Coenen, trombone)
2000
Montreux Jazz festival (Duo with Jack Coenen, trombone)
2000
Montreux Jazz festival (Duo with Jack Coenen, trombone)
2002
Montreux Jazz festival (Duo with Mark Nightingale, trombone)
2004
Jazzfestival Liège with Robert Jeanne quartet
PUBLICATIONS
2006 - 2009
Member of lectorate Autonomie en Openbaarheid in de Kunsten (Autonomy and the public Domain in the Arts)
2010 August
cover story on Jazz Guitar meets Church Organ for Het Orgel, Europe's oldest organ magazine.
2008
Four part history of Third Stream Music for Jazzmozaïek (Belgium)
2008
Professional Music Assessment - The Conservatory Final Exam Determining quality in Jazz performance during the Conservatory Final Exam Scientific internet publication
2005
Sequens (Alumni magazine) Third Stream Music
1990-1998
Jazz News monthly contributions. The magazine issued 10 times a year by SLIM (Stichting Limburg geImproviseerde Muziek / Limburg Foundation for Improvised Music). His articles deal with jazz history as with current jazz events.
1996 - 2001
Limburgs Dagblad - weekly column on Jazz matters titled Jazzy.
As to his studies: Joep van Leeuwen graduated from the Maastricht Music Academy with a B-diploma for classical guitar and he graduated from the Swiss Jazz School in Berne. As a manager he headed the Jazz Department of the Maastricht Music Academy from 1996 – 2001 and from 1998-2007 he ran the Masters program. From 1992 untill 1997 he was a member of the European Board ot the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) and its coordinator from 1993 until 1997.
2014 – 2017
Master Composition Maastricht Conservatory, Netherlands
1980 - 1984
Jazz guitar Graduation from Swiss Jazz School, Berne, Switserland
1974 - 1980
Classical guitar graduation from Maastricht Conservatory, Netherlands
11-11-2005
Jerry van Rooyen Award. Awarded to people that have played an important role in the jazz in Limburg.
1987 -1998
Board member of the Stichting Limburg geImproviseerde Muziek (SLIM)
1987
now Advisor for the Kerkraadse Wereld Muziek Concours.
PLAYED WITH
Peter Leitch, Garrison Fewell, Jacques Pirotton, Michael Musillami, John Stowell, Jan Formannoy, Phillipe Doyen, Charly d’Inverno, Jürgen Sturm.
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Jack Coenen, Marc Nightingale, Jaap Voeten.
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Robert Jeanne, Toon Roos, Leo Janssen, Dick de Graaf, Dave Turner, Rob van Bergen, Peter Hermesdorf.
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Ruud Breuls, Marc Frankinet, Charles Green, Rob Bruynen, Jean-Pol Steffens, Alex Plumacher, Marc Huynen.
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Antoine Cirri, Arnoud Gerritse, Hans Braber, Stephan Kremer, Bruno Castelluci, Gerd Breuer, Geert Roelofs, Kris Duerinckx, Arnoud Gerritse, Ron van Stratum, Steffen Thormahlen, Mimi Verderame, Lieven Venken.
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Sal LaRocca, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, Christoph Devisscher, Roman Korolik, Jan van den Boomen, Hans Mantel, Ulli Winz, Werner Lauscher, Stefan Werni, Peter Verhaegen, Luciën Matheeuwsen , Jürgen Junggeburth, Burt Thompson, Chistian Ramond, Christian von Kaphengst, Jo Didderen, Jan Knooren, Henry Schuller, Ildo Nandja.
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Janice Lakers, Digna Janssen, Norbert Gottschalk, Hilde Vanhove, Susanne Schneider, Sabine Kühlich, Anette Von Eichel, Katia Salemi, Ellen Bliek, Pascalle Everard, Katarina von Biljouw, Digna Janssen, Marlou Obers, Monique Houben, Iris Romen.
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Leon Lhoest, Frank Giebels, Arne van Coillie, Gero Körner, Berendt van de Berg.
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