Fred Van Hove (19 February 1937 – 13 January 2022) was a Belgian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

musician and a pioneer of European

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

. He was a pianist, accordionist, church organist, and carillonist, an

improviser Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

and a composer. In the 1960s and 1970s he performed with saxophonist

Peter Brötzmann Peter Brötzmann (born 6 March 1941) is a German saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Early life Brötzmann was born in Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He studied painting in Wuppertal and was involved with the Fluxus movement ...

and drummer

Han Bennink Han Bennink (born 17 April 1942) is a Dutch drummer and percussionist. On occasion his recordings have featured him playing soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, trombone, violin, banjo and piano. Though perhaps best known as one of the pivotal fig ...

Life and career

Van Hove studied musical theory, harmony and piano in Belgium. He began an association with saxophonist

in 1966, playing on his early quartet and sextet recordings including 1968's ''

Machine Gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...

'' album, and then as part of a trio with Brötzmann and drummer

. Van Hove later played in a number of duos, notably with saxophonists Steve Lacy and

Lol Coxhill George Lowen Coxhill (19 September 1932 – 10 July 2012) known professionally as Lol Coxhill, was an English free improvising saxophonist. He played soprano and sopranino saxophone. Biography Coxhill was born to George Compton Coxhill ...

and with trombonists Albert Mangelsdorff and

Vinko Globokar Vinko Globokar (born 7 July 1934) is a French-Slovenian avant-garde composer and trombonist. Globokar's music uses unconventional and extended techniques, places great emphasis on spontaneity and creativity, and often relies on improvisation. Hi ...

. He composed music for film and theatre, and taught local musicians in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. He held workshops in Germany, France, England, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and held studios at the University of Lille III. Van Hove collaborated with a number of his fellow Belgian musicians, and in 1996 was given the title of Cultural Ambassador of Flanders by the Belgian government. He died on 13 January 2022, at the age of 84.Antwerpse jazzpionier Fred Van Hove overleden

References

External links

Improvised performance
with Walter Hus for

Radio France Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: * France Inter — Radio France's " generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed with a wide variety o ...

Biography
at the European Free Improvisation Pages * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Hove, Fred 1937 births 2022 deaths 21st-century pianists Atavistic Records artists Belgian jazz pianists Carillonneurs Musicians from Antwerp