Biography
Kees Hazevoet, a Dutch pianist and clarinetist, belonged to the initial wave of Netherlands musicians who turned to free jazz. He launched his professional work in the early 1960s and, midway through the decade, embraced free music by joining one of saxophonist Willem Breuker’s first ensembles and recording on the saxophonist’s debut album. Subsequent associations linked him with leading European free improvisers such as Peter Brötzmann along with Dutch players Han Bennink and Luc Houtkamp. Leadership sessions remained rare for Hazevoet, and the handful he recorded appeared in extremely limited editions. His earliest date heading a group, the wild 1970 album Pleasure, presented him alongside Kris Wanders on alto, Arjen Gorter on bass, and South African ex-pat Louis Moholo on drums. Another little-known yet noteworthy date under his direction arrived in 1976 as Unlawful Noise, issued under the name Haazz & Company. Demonstrating pursuits beyond jazz, Hazevoet withdrew from music in 1980 to serve as a professor of zoology. Both Unlawful Noise and Pleasure later appeared on CD within Atavistic’s Unheard Music Series.