Michael Varekamp (1968) studied with Ack van Rooijen at the Royal Conservatory and in New York he studied with, among others, Brian Lynch. For some considerable time he was a member of the Surinamese/Dutch group Fra Fra Sound, and also member of the Dutch Swing College. He has his own Michael Varekamp-quintet and (together with Wiboud Burkens) a production company called ‘The Legends’.
He is frequently involved (as a composer and theatrical producer) with large music and theater productions such as ‘ the Louis Armstrong Story’, ‘ the Legends of Jazz’, I’m a Soulman, ‘Miles!’, the band ‘Karma’ (produced together with Efraim Trujillo), the ‘Obama Suite’ and the ‘Tutu Suite’. He was a guest lecturer at a.o., the Royal Conservatory, Conservatory, Codarts Rotterdam and Artez in Zwolle. He has collaborated with artists such as: Conte and Pete Candoli, Dee Daniels, Benny Carter, David Murray, Deborah Brown, Scott Hamilton and Branford Marsalis.
He has performed throughout Europe, the US (incl. Cuba), South Africa, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Australia, Mali and Japan. In 2001 he won the Kobe-award for outstanding talent.
– Terence Blanchard, Wandering Wonder
– Michael Varekamp, Elektra II, Space Cowboy No.1 (1 Pt.2)
– Miles Davis, Ascent
– Nicholas Payton, Wild Man Blues
– Michael Varekamp, Elektra ITales in Time (1 Pt.1)
– Thelonious Monk, TM with John Coltrane, Ruby my dear
