Concertzender Live

Cor Fuhler, born in the Dutch province of Drenthe, was an extraordinary musician. He could be quintessentially Dutch, like windmills and tulips. He was a part of the improv-scene, the new tradition that blends modern classics with modern jazz into a marvellously chaotic, yet still musical fusion. In another way, he was truly one of a kind, with his home-made instruments like the keyolin and his interest in electronica – quite unusual in his scene. His interest in the cerebral side of modern music went a lot deeper than we see with Misha Mengelberg and Willem Breuker.

Today, we will play you parts from three different concerts with Fulher. The first is from 1988, and the last from 2006. Considering he left for Australia in 2010, this sums up a good part of his Dutch career.

One thing is clear from these recordings: you can’t really put a label on Fuhler. In the 1988 concert he is the pianist in the combo of singer Silvia Langelaan – that’s proper jazz for you. In 1999, he is part of hardcore avant-garde, playing Raffinaderij with the ‘Rotterdamse Improvisatiepoel’ (RIP) at the Zuid-Nederlands Jazz festival. This is a 40 minute-improvisation where sounds from the chemical industry of the Port of Rotterdam have been the source of inspiration for the music. The last recording of 2006 falls a bit in between, with Fuhler directing ‘Corkestra’, a big band performing their own compositions.

Playlist

1. Jackie
2. I’m glad tot see you
3. Samba met jou
4. Blue
5. Open
6. The good life
7. Raffinaderij
8. Zout
9. Wilbert, Cor en Ab
10. Appelboom
11. Fata morgana
12. Zandkasteel
13. Zand
14. Visnet

Performers

No. 1-6: Silvia Langelaan (vocals), Cor Fuhler (piano), Pieter Jan Cremer (piano, 3), Mischa Kool (contrabass), Panc Daalder (percussion)

No. 7: Rotterdamse Improvisatie Poel conducted by Katja Visser; Cor Fuhler (piano)

No. 8-14: Corkestra: Anne La Berge (flute, elektronics), Ab Baars (clarinet, tenor saxophone), Tobias Delius (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Nora Mulder (cimbalom), Michael Vatcher (percussion, musical saw), Wilbert de Joode (contrabass), Cor Fuhler (piano, elektronics)