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Pianist
Misha Mengelberg led the Dutch ensemble
ICP Orchestra, and was known for his role in the development of creative music in 1960s Netherlands. Usually in groups with explosive drummer
Han Bennink,
Mengelberg mixed composition and improvisation for decades, and during his long and full career, became one of the most distinctive pianists in avant-garde jazz.
He was born in Kiev in 1935, the son of pianist/conductor Karel Mengelberg, and immigrated to Amsterdam during childhood.
Mengelberg was entrenched in playing chess and the piano by his teens and listening to one of his biggest jazz influences, namely
Thelonious Monk. His compositions while studying classical music at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague were heavily conceptual, and hearing
John Cage intensified his experimental leanings.
Mengelberg won jazz competitions, and by the early '60s led a quartet, including drummer
Han Bennink, that became a trio that backed
Johnny Griffin in 1963 and
Eric Dolphy for a few gigs in 1964, including the concert released as Last Date.
Mengelberg played the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival and in the Dutch group that played with
Cecil Taylor in 1967.
Mengelberg won the Wessel Ilcken Prize, then he and
Bennink met saxophonist
Willem Breuker.
Out of these three arose the ICP (Instant Composers Pool) label and numerous projects, but a rift in the '70s sent
Breuker in another direction, and led
Mengelberg to form
the ICP Orchestra.
Mengelberg helped instigate arts funding reform to include improvisation, resulting in the BIMHuis venue and STEIM (Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music, begun with
Louis Andriessen), serving as president of BIM and director of STEIM. He also performed with Wim T. Schippers from 1974-1982.
Mengelberg's
ICP Orchestra had a shifting lineup before stabilizing in the '80s with members who included
Bennink,
Wolter Wierbos,
Michael Moore,
Ab Baars, and more. Due to the group's size,
Mengelberg's "instant composing" tenet shifted to "conducted improvisation," and ICP performed and recorded for the next few decades.
Mengelberg collaborated with many of the best in European and American avant-garde jazz, including
Evan Parker,
Peter Brötzmann, and
Ken Vandermark. He recorded for labels including Hat, DIW, and Soul Note. Affected by Alzheimer's and retreating from the public spotlight beginning in the 2000s,
Mengelberg died in Amsterdam in 2017 at the age of 81.