Jesse van Ruller and Michiel Borstlap preceded him. But that's it, as it is very rarely that a European makes off with the prestigious American Thelonious Monk Award. This year, trombone player and composer pur sang Ilja Reijngoud won the award for his piece No Substitute. An important prize that can give an important boost to the career of a talented musician from Culemborg. In 1996 Reijngoud graduated cum laude at the Hilversum Conservatory. Two years later, he started teaching jazz trombone majors and working as big band leader at the Rotterdam Conservatory, together with Bart van Lier. Since 1995 he has been giving clinics and workshops and playing in various groups, including the Dutch Jazz Orchestra, the Houdini's, the Cubop City Bigband, the Pierre Courbois double quintet and Canta Brasil. In addition to his intensive career as a trombone player and teacher, Reijngoud, who recently made it to the finals of the Deloitte Jazz Awards, also composes and arranges for a wide range of lineups. The Ilja Reijngoud Quartet, which celebrates its first anniversary this year, will soon release its debut, titled New Arrival.
