Jazz pianist Jasper van 't Hof has cleverly managed to forge his own path through the European jazz landscape. In the sixties, he was in contact with free jazz spirits like Pierre Courbois and Toto Blanke (Association P.C.) and in the seventies he formed the band Pork Pie with Philip Catherine and Charlie Mariano, among others. Early in his musical career he had the idea that as far as jazz was concerned, he did not have to limit himself to Dutch jazz venues. In the eighties he toured extensively in Europe and he came to the attention of authoritative foreign jazz magazines. His band Pili Pili, with African influences, became very well known in Germany. Van 't Hof is extremely active as a soloist known for his unique, communicative style of playing. Singer Greetje Bijma first worked with pianist Van 't Hof in 1994 at the festival in Donaueschingen. Last summer they came together again as a duo. In 1990 Bijma was the first female winner of the Boy Edgar Award. Her intriguing vocal improvisations across four octaves (ranging from opera to the blues, and from tango to chanson and overtone singing) are astonishing. She connects feelings with sounds in an original expressionist manner.
