Pierre Courbois

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Pierre Courbois (born April 23, 1940, in Nijmegen, the Netherlands) is a Dutch jazz-drummer.

After studying percussion at the Hogeschool der Kunsten in Arnhem, Courbois left for Paris, the center of Jazz in Europe in the early 1960s. There he worked with a number of jazz giants such as pianist Kenny Drew, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, saxophonists Eric Dolphy, Ben Webster, Stan Getz and Johnny Griffin and guitarist René Thomas.

Courbois was one of the first musicians in Europe to experiment with free jazz: In 1961 he became the drummer and leader of the Original Dutch Free Jazz Quartet. In 1965 he started another group, the Free Music Quintet, composed of international musicians. Its album at the ESP label has been called the best example of European Jazz. He also played and recorded with Gunter Hampel's Heartplants Group.

In 1969 Courbois founded the first European 'Rock-Jazz' group, Association P.C.. This famous ensemble, winner of the Down Beat poll, existed until 1974 with Toto Blanke, Sigi Busch, different key-boarders, including Jasper van 't Hof and Joachim Kühn. In 1975 he founded his New Association with German saxophonist Gerd Dudek and french pianist Sigi Kessler. He has also played with the pianists Mal Waldron, and Rein de Graaff, horn players Willem Breuker, Hans Dulfer and Theo Loevendie, and Ali Haurand's European Jazz Quintet.

In 1992 Pierre started a quintet under his own name and for the first time in his career performed pieces, composed by himself. This ensemble pleasantly surprised both the critics and the public with a return to the Charlie Mingus tradition - thematic, melodic ensemble jazz and an experimentation with linear improvisation.

During the 1994 North Sea Jazz Festival the Bird Award, the highest award in the Dutch Jazz World was bestowed upon Pierre Courbois.