Erik VERMEULEN : biography

DJANGO D'OR AWARD 2003

photo: Jos Knaepen

Erik VERMEULEN

piano

Erik VERMEULEN was born in 1959 in Ieper, Belgium. As a young boy, he starts playing cello and later on switches to the piano. At the age of 20 he starts performing regulary with his own trio with Hein VAN DE GEYN on bass and Dré PALLEMAERTS on drums. From that time on he becomes active in different kinds of bands such as the Erwin VANN, Frank VAGANEE- and Kurt VAN HERCK Quartets, Peter HERTMANS Quartet.

He also played with Bert JORIS, Jacques PELZER,, Phil ABRAHAM, Richard ROUSSELET, Pierre LOGNAY, Steve HOUBEN, Stéphane MERCIER etc...,
and with international stars as : Joe LOVANO, Ali RYERSON, Art FARMER, Deborah BROWN, Steve GROSSMAN, David SCHNITTER, Bob MOVER, John RUOCCO, Clark TERRY, Ali RYERSON, Slide HAMPTON, Teddy EDWARDS, Toots THIELEMANS, Philip CATHERINE, Michael MOORE, Barre PHILLIPS, etc...

He also worked with the B.R.T. Jazz Orchestra. In 1998, he represented Belgium in the EBU Big Band in Stockholm. He also was a member of the band DE FRISSE WIND.

At various stages of his career, he presented his own Trio, a.o. with Jean-Louis RASSINFOSSE and Félix SIMTAINE, Philippe AERTS and Dré PALLEMAERTS, Otti VAN DER WERF and Eric THIELEMANSÉ and finally Salvatore LA ROCCA and Jan DE HAAS, who appear on his cd "Songs of Minutes", released in 2001.
His latest trio is with Eric SURMENIAN on bass and Marek PATRMAN on drums.
Eric's trio (with Sal LA ROCCA and Jan DE HAAS) released in March 2001 the CD "Songs of Minutes" (De Werf) and in 2002 "Inner City" (Werf 036)

Since 1995, he played and recorded with the following bands : Bart DEFOORT Quartet (CD), Ben SLUIJS Quartet and duo (several CDs) ), Manu HERMIA (CD), Marta MUS (CD).

In 1997 he records an album with his project Icarus Consort, Into pieces (IGLOO IGL 137, with Erwin VANN, Pierre BERNARD, Nicolas THYS ans Stéphane GALLAND), which offers ample room for free improvisations.

His solo work goes in the same direction, as well as his duos with Pierre BERNARD, Daniel STOKART or Erik THIELEMANS, which will lead in 2000 into the creation of the Groundwork Collectief.

In 2001 he participates in an album of drummer Eric THIELEMANS, with the Rauw project, which included Barre PHILLIPS en Jean-Yves EVRARD.

In 2001, he records a duo CD ("Stones" on Jazz' Halo) with saxophonist Ben SLUIJS.

In 2002, a new trio cd of the Erik VERMEULEN Trio is released : "Inner City" (Werf 036)

In 2003, he receives the Belgian Django d'Or Award.

He teaches piano at the conservatory of Gent and Antwerp.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Deborah BROWN & Slide HAMPTON	"My one and only love" (1986)
Bart DEFOORT Quartet	"Moving" (Werf 009, 1997)
Ben SLUIJS Quartet	"Food for free" (On Purpose 001,1997)
Ben SLUIJS Quartet	"Candy Century" (Werf 019)
Ben SLUIJS Quartet	"Sea Sounds" (Werf 024)
Erik VERMEULEN / Icarus Consort	"Into Pieces" (Igloo igl 137, 1997)
Martha MUS	"Bittersweet" (Sony EPC501971/2, 2001)
Erik VERMEULEN Trio	"Songs of minutes" (Werf 025)
Ben SLUIJS / Erik VERMEULEN (duo)	"Stones" (Jazz'Halo TS 010)
Ben SLUIJS Quartet	"Flying circles" (Werf 034)
Erik VERMEULEN Trio	"Inner City" (Werf 036)