Paul Van Kemenade

Born on 17 May 1957 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Van Kemenade took up the alto saxophone in childhood and turned professional in 1976. While enrolled at the Brabants Conservatory in Tilburg, Holland, he directed his own groups, which concentrated on his original compositions, and simultaneously appeared as a sideman in ensembles that ranged from duos to big bands. Those associations included Niko Langenhuijsen’s Vaalbleek and, in 1989, Alex Von Schlippenbach’s Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, where his colleagues were Kenny Wheeler, Ed Thigpen and Benny Bailey. He also performed with the Surinam Music Ensemble and participated in multimedia works that joined forces with poets, painters and dancers. For several years he shared leadership of the workshop orchestra Boventoon and served as conductor of the Brabants Leerorkest.

Over an extended period he has taught widely throughout his native country. His quintet was established in 1983; the following year he was awarded the Podiumprize by the SJIN, the Dutch Jazz Foundation. He continued to lead the quintet, whose personnel remained relatively stable from 1989 onward, consisting of Hans Sparla on trombone, Jeroen van Vliet on piano, Eric van der Westen on bass and Pieter Bast on drums. With this lineup he toured extensively across Europe, Canada and South Africa. He also headed a septet and the Podium trio. Further projects have involved the Surinam Music Ensemble, Contraband—the occasional big band directed by trombonist Willem van Manen—van der Westen’s post-bop octet Pulsation, the 1-2-3-4-5-Sextet, Jasper Van’t Hof and numerous other ensembles. Although his profile remains lower than it deserves on the international stage, Van Kemenade’s broad involvement in artistic spheres together with his teaching activities has rendered him both prominent and influential in the Netherlands.