Han Bennink


Han Bennink is a Dutch jazz drummer and percussionist. On occasion his recordings have featured him playing clarinet, violin, banjo and piano.
Though perhaps best known as one of the pivotal figures in early European free jazz and free improvisation, Bennink has worked in essentially every school of jazz, and is described by critic Chris Kelsey as "one of the unfortunately rare musicians whose abilities and interests span jazz's entire spectrum." Known for often injecting slapstick and absurdist humor into his performances, Bennink has had especially fruitful long-term partnerships with pianist Misha Mengelberg and saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. Han is a brother of saxophonist Peter Bennink.

Early life and education

Bennink was born in Zaandam, the son of a classical percussionist. He played the drums and the clarinet during his teens.

Playing career

Through the 1960s he drummed with a number of American musicians visiting the Netherlands, including Dexter Gordon, Wes Montgomery, Sonny Rollins and Eric Dolphy.
He subsequently became a central figure in the emerging European free improvisation scene. In 1963 he formed a quartet with pianist Misha Mengelberg and saxophonist Piet Noordijk which had a number of different bassists and which played at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival, and in 1967 he was a co-founder of the Instant Composers Pool with Mengelberg and Willem Breuker, which sponsored Dutch avant garde performances. From the late 1960s he played in a trio with saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and Belgian pianist Fred Van Hove, which became a duo after Van Hove's departure in 1976. Through much of the 1990s he played in Clusone 3, a trio with saxophonist/clarinetist Michael Moore and cellist Ernst Reijseger. He has often played duos with Mengelberg and collaborated with him alongside other musicians.
From the late 1980s through the early 2000s, Bennik collaborated closely with Dutch post-punk band The Ex, appearing on their 1995 album Instant and travelling and playing with them on their first tour to Ethiopia.

Recordings

As well as playing with these long-standing groups, Bennink has performed and recorded solo and played with many free improvisation and free jazz luminaries including Derek Bailey, Conny Bauer, Don Cherry and Alexander von Schlippenbach, as well as more conventional jazz musicians like Lee Konitz. In 1983 he collaborated with boogie-woogie pianist and vocalist Little Willie Littlefield for his album I'm in the Mood.

Style

Bennink's style is wide-ranging, running from conventional jazz drumming to highly unconventional free improvisation, for which he often uses whatever found objects happen to be onstage, his own body, and the entire performance space—the floor, doors, and walls. He makes frequent use of birdcalls and whatever else strikes his fancy.

Discography

The following is a partial list of recordings by Han Bennink.

Solo albums

; As leader
; With Gary Bartz, Lee Konitz, Jackie McLean and Charlie Mariano
;With Anthony Braxton
; With Eric Dolphy
; With Paul Ruys
;With Willem Breuker
; With Peter Brötzmann
; With Evan Parker
; With Don Cherry
; With Paul Bley and Annette Peacock
; With Misha Mengelberg
; With Kees Hazevoet
; With Steve Lacy
; With Dudu Pukwana
; With Keshavan Maslak
; With Roswell Rudd
; With Pino Minafra
; With Sean Bergin
; With Little Willie Littlefield
; With Steve Beresford
; With Pino Minafra
; With Cecil Taylor
; With Ray Anderson and Christy Doran
; With Irene Schweizer
; With Myra Melford
; With Cor Fuhler and Wilbert De Joode
; With Ellery Eskelin
; With Terrie Ex
; With Eugene Chadbourne
; With Michael Moore
; With Spring Heel Jack
; With Simon Nabatov
; With Daniele D'Agaro
; With Kenny Millions
; With Kenny Millions
; With Kazuo Imai
; With Rik van Iersel
; With Guus Janssen
; With Mikko Innanen and Jaak Sooäär
; With Alessandra Patrucco
; With Mark O'Leary
; With Keshavan Maslak
; With Frode Gjerstad
; With Will Holshouser and Michael Moore
; With Aki Takase
; With Armen Nalbandian
; With Eric Boeren
; With Uri Caine
; With Jaak Sooäär