‘He’s the best jazz pianist in Europe, only he doesn't know it himself’ is a senior colleague's verdict on pianist Rob van Bavel (1965). He often performs with the trio The Ghost, the King and I and the Rob van Bavel Octet. This year, Van Bavel turned sixty, which he celebrated with many friends and a wonderful anniversary album: Sweet Sixty. In 2023, he also released a special album, Dutch Connection, recorded during the pandemic, which includes bassist Joris Teepe (1962), who left the Netherlands for New York in 1992. There he worked with Benny Golson, Sonny Fortune, Billy Hart and Randy Brecker. He also had a long working relationship with Rashied Ali, John Coltrane's last drummer. The percussionist is Gene Jackson (1961), who worked with famous musicians such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Andrew Hill and Terence Blanchard.
