Trumpeter and flugelhorn player Ack van Rooijen celebrated his 90th birthday on January 1, 2020, as a musician should: with a sparkling concert at the Bimhuis, surrounded by colleagues who are dear to him. Like the 40 years younger German saxophonist Paul Heller, with whom he has been playing for years and who was also present on his 80th birthday. Ack van Rooijen (brother of the trumpeter, film
… composer and arranger Jerry van Rooijen, who died in 2009) played an important role in the post-war modern jazz of The Netherlands, successfully roamed through France and Germany and eventually returned to his homeland where he started teaching at the The Hague Conservatory. Fortunately, he also took his birthday band into the studio, which resulted in 90. An album full of well-oiled and inspired cool jazz and bop, with Van Rooijen's clear and melodious tone as a guideline. More than justified that he received the Buma Boy Edgar Prize in 2020. (MR)more
