Misha Mengelberg, Detroit International Jazz Festival
Misha Mengelberg (5 June 1935 – 3 March 2017) was a Dutch jazz pianist and composer.[2] A prominent figure in post-WWII European Jazz, Mengelberg is known for his forays into free improvisation, for bringing humor into his music, and as a leading interpreter of songs by fellow pianists Thelonious Monk and Herbie Nichols.
Biography
Mengelberg was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR,[2] the son of the Dutch conductor Karel Mengelberg [nl] (1902-1984) and grand-nephew of conductor Willem Mengelberg. Karel Mengelberg was a Dutch composer and conductor, who worked in Berlin, Barcelona, Kiev and Amsterdam. A notable work of his was 'Catalunya Renaixent', written for the Banda Municipal of Barcelona in 1934.[3][4][5]
Misha's family moved back to the Netherlands in the late 1930s and he began learning the piano at age five.[2] He was considered a chess marvel at age nine.[6] He would continue to compete in chess championships in the 1970s despite his musical career.[7] Mengelberg briefly studied architecture before entering the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where he studied music from 1958 to 1964. While there he won the first prize at a jazz festival in Loosdrecht and became associated with Fluxus. His early influences included Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and John Cage, whom he heard lecture at Darmstadt.[8]
Mengelberg played with a large variety of musicians. He often performed in a duo with fellow Dutchman Bennink, with other collaborators including Derek Bailey, Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker, Anthony Braxton, and (on the flip side of a live recording with Dolphy) his pet parrot. He was also one of the earliest exponents of the work of the once-neglected pianist Herbie Nichols.[8]
He also wrote music for others to perform (generally leaving some room for improvisation) and oversaw a number of music theatre productions, which usually included a large element of absurdist humour. A 2006 DVD release, Afijn (ICP/Data), is a primer on Mengelberg's life and work, containing an 80-minute documentary and additional concert footage.[citation needed]
Mengelberg died in Amsterdam on 3 March 2017, aged 81, from undisclosed causes.[9]
Discography
Solo albums
Mengelberg performing in 2004
1979: Pech Onderweg (BV Haast)
1982: Musica Per 17 Instrumenti / 3 Intermezzi /Omtrent Een ComponistenactieComposer's Voice
