Michael Vanekamp

Michael Varekamp is an energetic act and a thrill to watch on stage! Michael has his roots in Trinidad & Tobago but was born and raised in The Netherlands. His music brings people together and in the spirit of the very beginning of jazz on Congo Square New Orleans. Every concert is inspiring and spectacular and is an event that goes under your skin. The best things of Jazz united. The Groove, The Blues and The Spirit!

Top of the Jazz scene
Michael is probably known as the best trumpet player around in The Netherlands combined with the hardest workin’ man in showbiz. Just a kid, Michael fell in love with the music of Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis. In his early twenties he graduated cum laude at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, studied in New York with a scholarship and started travelling around the world with Fra Fra Sound and the Dutch Swing College Band. He toured Japan, Mali, South Africa, Indonesia, India, Cuba, Europe, Great Britain, Malta, Australia, New Zealand and the United States to name a few.

In his thirty-something years long career he worked with the who’s who in jazz such as Branford Marsalis, Scott Hamilton, Deborah Brown, Kenny Ball, David Murray and Lester Bowie. He was a member of the European quintet of the legendary Sonny Fortune and played on stages such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, Koninklijk Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Barbican Centre London, North Sea Jazz Festival and Havana Jazz Festival.

He joined Jazzmobile Inc. and United Jazz Foundation in NYC for concerts and masterclasses in the USA. Michael is artistic director of the Gouda Jazz Festival, Prinsjes Nacht The Hague and is curator in Rietveldtheater Delft and Muzee Scheveningen. He produces jazz shows such as Louis! and Swingin’ New Orleans for theatres, jazz clubs and festivals. Michael also writes for dance, movies and theatre plays. He produces podcasts and radio shows and often gives lectures and masterclasses.

Last summer he was featured as a special guest with the “Ronnie Scott’s All Stars” at the Oxford Festival of the Arts, in a special program about Louis Armstrong. Besides working as a soloist, Michael currently tours around Europe and abroad with The Louis Armstrong Celebration Band ao.

Awards
Breda Jazz Festival First Prize 1991
Kobe Award Japan 1999
Dutch Grammy 2016
Dutch Oscar (as composer) 2022

Michael Varekamp is an energetic act and a thrill to watch on stage! Michael has his roots in Trinidad & Tobago but was born and raised in The Netherlands. His music brings people together and in the spirit of the very beginning of jazz on Congo Square New Orleans. Every concert is inspiring and spectacular and is an event that goes under your skin. The best things of Jazz united. The Groove, The Blues and The Spirit! Top of the Jazz scene Michael is probably known as the best trumpet player around in The Netherlands combined with the hardest workin’ man in showbiz. Just a kid, Michael fell in love with the music of Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis. In his early twenties he graduated cum laude at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, studied in New York with a scholarship and started travelling around the world with Fra Fra Sound and the Dutch Swing College Band. He toured Japan, Mali, South Africa, Indonesia, India, Cuba, Europe, Great Britain, Malta, Australia, New Zealand and the United States to name a few. In his thirty-something years long career he worked with the who’s who in jazz such as Branford Marsalis, Scott Hamilton, Deborah Brown, Kenny Ball, David Murray and Lester Bowie. He was a member of the European quintet of the legendary Sonny Fortune and played on stages such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, Koninklijk Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Barbican Centre London, North Sea Jazz Festival and Havana Jazz Festival. He joined Jazzmobile Inc. and United Jazz Foundation in NYC for concerts and masterclasses in the USA. Michael is artistic director of the Gouda Jazz Festival, Prinsjes Nacht The Hague and is curator in Rietveldtheater Delft and Muzee Scheveningen. He produces jazz shows such as Louis! and Swingin’ New Orleans for theatres, jazz clubs and festivals. Michael also writes for dance, movies and theatre plays. He produces podcasts and radio shows and often gives lectures and masterclasses. Last summer he was featured as a special guest with the “Ronnie Scott’s All Stars” at the Oxford Festival of the Arts, in a special program about Louis Armstrong. Besides working as a soloist, Michael currently tours around Europe and abroad with The Louis Armstrong Celebration Band ao. Awards Breda Jazz Festival First Prize 1991 Kobe Award Japan 1999 Dutch Grammy 2016 Dutch Oscar (as composer) 2022