Jazztodon artist of the week: Leo Cuypers!
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Jazztodon artist of the week: Leo Cuypers!
Leo Cuypers was a Dutch pianist associated with the Willem Breuker sphere through early work with the reed player’s Kollektief and a number of albums released on his BVHaast imprint. He originally trained as a classical percussionist at the Maastricht Conservatory but was soon swept up in the burgeoning avant garde scene of his native Netherlands and larger Europe, switching to autodidactic study of the piano, mainly as a solo performer. It was when Breuker saw Cuypers perform on television.
Cuypers would go on to record with the Theo Loevendie Consort (Chess, BASF, 1972), was the original pianist for the Willem Breuker Kollektief and appeared on numerous Breuker albums in the ‘70s. His debut was an eponymous solo release on BASF in 1972 followed by albums on BVHaast.
After 1980, Cuypers led his own bands, which included countrymen like drummer Han Bennink and trombonist Willem van Manen.
