Michiel Braam


Michiel Braam is a Dutch jazz pianist and composer.

Life and career

He studied at the ArtEZ School of Music in Arnhem, where he currently is head of the Jazz & Pop dept. In 1986 he founded 2 bands: Bik Bent Braam and Bentje Braam.

In 1987 Michiel Braam was commissioned by the NOS. He composed a work for 4 clarinets and piano entitled Cows and Beasts. It was performed by Braam on piano, and the clarinet players Ab Baars, Theo Jörgensmann, Michael Moore and Louis Sclavis. In 1989 he founded Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher, in 2005 eBraam, and in 2011 Michiel Braam's Hybrid 10tet. In 2015 the trio "Nos Otrobanda" was formed with Aty de Windt on bass and André Groen on güira. That band specialises in Antillean Walttzes.

Together with Frans Vermeerssen he co-leads the sextet All Ears. He worked also with musicians like George Lewis, Benjamin Herman, Han Bennink, Conny and Hannes Bauer and Steve Argüelles.

The orchestra Bik Bent Braam was considered to be one of the main bigger orchestras in the field of improvisation-music and performed worldwide, as the trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher still does.

In 2007 Braam composed Nopera, a sort of music theater piece in which the written parts could be performed at random and contained much room for improvisation, and the libretto was written in the Nothingyettish language.

In 2012 Bik Bent Braam stopped and a septet named Flex Bent Braam took its place. In 2013 the first program "Lucebert" of that band was presented on stage and with an album.

In 2015 eBraam recorded "The Extraordinary Love Story of Aye Aye and Fedor", with singer Dean Bowman as narrator, after Ana Isabel Ordonez's children's book, in a bigger project that involves also dance and fine art.
2016 Reeds & Deeds started, with Frans Vermeerssen, Alex Coke, Bo van de Graaf, Arjen Gorter and Makki van Engelen. This sextet plays the music of Roland Kirk and issued an album in 2019, "Live at JazzCase".
In 2020 it will be 25 years ago Bik Bent Braam performed the program "The XIJZ of Bik Bent Braam". A special Latin version of this program will be touring during the anniversary year 2020 by the new 13-piece ensemble Son Bent Braam (including Angelo Verploegen, Joël Botma, Ilja Reijngoud, Efe Erdem, Efraïm Trujillo, Bart van der Putten, Frans Vermeerssen, Jesse Schilderink, Aty de Windt, André Groen, Danny Rombout and Martin Gort entitled "El XYZ de Son Bent Braam".
In 1988, Braam was honoured with the Podium prize and in 1997 he got Dutch most important jazz prize, the VPRO/Boy Edgar Award.

Selected compositions

  • De Parkeermeterfabriek for Big Band
  • De AABA suite for Big Band
  • Koeien en Beesten for 4 clarinets and piano
  • Sopraantje, an operette for vocal & 11 musicians
  • Worms is Back for piano
  • Alle 13 goed for Bik Bent Braam
  • Kwertie for male vocal quartet
  • Bik Bent Braam Goes Bonsai
  • 13 Concerten for Bik Bent Braam
  • Nopera
  • Extremen for Bik Bent Braam
  • Non-Functionals for Michiel Braam's Wurli Trio
  • Quartet for Trio BraamDeJoodevatcher
  • Serendipities for Bik Bent Braam
  • On The Move for Michiel Braam's Hybrid 10tet
  • Exit for Bik Bent Braam
  • 3 for eBraam
  • Black to White for Matangi String Quartet
  • Lucebert for Flex Bent Braam
  • The Extraordinary Love Story Of Aye Aye And Fedor for eBraam
  • Marjan, Valencia, Sissi for Nos Otrobanda
  • A Malicious Teleological Primordiality for Hawinkels Band
  • El XYZ de Son Bent Braam for Son Bent Braam

    Discography

  • Oeps!
  • Bentje Braam
  • Rompiendo La Rutina
  • Howdy!
  • Jazzs
  • One For Rahsaan
  • Het XYZ der Bik Bent Braam
  • Niet met de deuren slaan
  • Monk Materials / Playing the second Coolbook
  • Zwart Wit
  • 13
  • Colors
  • Bik Bent Braam Goes Bonsai
  • Foamy Wife Hum/Line
  • Michiel vs Braam
  • Growing Pains
  • Cobra
  • Change this Song
  • Hosting Changes
  • Extremen
  • Non-Functionals
  • Quartet
  • Quintet
  • On The Move
  • 3
  • Lucebert
  • Live at Novara
  • Aye
  • Gloomy Sunday
  • The Curaçao Experience
  • 40 jaar na P.
  • Crime
  • ''Live at JazzCase''