Biography
Leo Cuypers, a pianist from the Netherlands, first performed on drums during childhood before redirecting his energies to the keyboard. Although he enrolled for several years at the conservatory in his native Maastricht, the majority of his abilities developed through independent study. In the 1970s he appeared with ensembles led by fellow Dutch musicians such as pianist Misha Mengelberg and saxophonist Theo Loevendie, yet his most visible partnership was with saxophonist and composer Willem Breuker. For much of the decade Cuypers remained an indispensable participant in Breuker’s Kollektief; during the same period the pair launched the BVHaast imprint, whose name—“Hurry Inc.”—reflected their customary rush to finish scores for film and theater productions. Cuypers also headed his own ensembles, issuing Live in Shaffy (1974), Johnny Rep Suite (1974), and Zeeland Suite (1977); the last two titles later appeared together on a 1994 BVHaast compact disc. After a quarrel with Breuker prompted his exit from the Kollektief, Cuypers maintained a reduced presence through the 1980s and 1990s, releasing material under his own name only occasionally. The resourceful pianist’s standing climbed again in the late 1990s and early 2000s, partly because of his central place in Kevin Whitehead’s detailed study of the Amsterdam scene, New Dutch Swing, and partly because Atavistic’s Unheard Music Series reissued his scarce 1981 LP Heavy Days Are Here Again. Leo Cuypers died in Maastricht in September 2017.