Han Bennink

Biography

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 figures in early European free jazz and free improvisation, Bennink has worked in essentially every school of jazz, and is described by critic Chris Kelsey as "one of the unfortunately rare musicians whose abilities and interests span jazz's entire spectrum." Known for often injecting slapstick and absurdist humor into his performances, Bennink has had especially fruitful long-term partnerships with pianist Misha Mengelberg and saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. Han is a brother of saxophonist Peter Bennink.

Early life and education

Bennink was born in Zaandam, the son of a classical percussionist. He played the drums and the clarinet during his teens.

Performing career

Through the 1960s he was the drummer with a number of American musicians visiting the Netherlands, including Dexter Gordon, Wes Montgomery, Sonny Rollins and Eric Dolphy (he is present on Dolphy's recording, Last Date (1964)).
He subsequently became a central figure in the emerging European free improvisation scene. In 1963 he formed a quartet with pianist Misha Mengelberg and saxophonist Piet Noordijk which performed at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival. In 1967 he was a co-founder of the Instant Composers Pool with Mengelberg and Willem Breuker, which sponsored Dutch avant garde performances. From the late 1960s, he played in a trio with saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and Belgian pianist Fred Van Hove, which became a duo after Van Hove's departure in 1976. Through much of the 1990s, he played in Clusone 3 (also known as the Clusone Trio), a trio with saxophonist/clarinetist Michael Moore and cellist Ernst Reijseger. He has often played duos with Mengelberg and collaborated with him alongside other musicians.
From the late 1980s through the early 2000s, Bennik collaborated closely with Dutch post-punk band The Ex, appearing on their 1995 album Instant and travelling and playing with them on their first tour to Ethiopia.

Recordings

As well as playing with these long-standing groups, Bennink has performed and recorded solo (Tempo Comodo (1982) being among his solo recordings) and played with many free improvisation and free jazz musicians including Derek Bailey, Conny Bauer, Don Cherry and Alexander von Schlippenbach, as well as more conventional jazz musicians such as Lee Konitz. In 1983 he collaborated with boogie-woogie pianist and vocalist Little Willie Littlefield for his album, I'm in the Mood.

Style

Bennink's style is wide-ranging, running from conventional jazz drumming to highly unconventional free improvisation, for which he often uses whatever found objects happen to be onstage (chairs, music stands, instrument cases), his own body (a favourite device involves putting a drumstick in his mouth and striking it with the other stick), and the entire performance space—the floor, doors, and walls. He makes frequent use of birdcalls and whatever else strikes his fancy (one particularly madcap performance in Toronto in the 1990s involved a deafening fire alarm bell placed on the floor).

Solo albums

1970: Solo (Instant Composers Pool)
1973: Nerve Beats (UMS, ALP, Atavistic, 2001)
1979: Solo - West/East (FMP)
1982: Tempo Comodo (Data Records)

Collaborations

As leader or co-leader

1968: Instant Composers Pool, (Instant Composers Pool), with Misha Mengelberg and John Tchicai
1972: Derek Bailey & Han Bennink (Ictus) with Derek Bailey
1979: A European Proposal (Live In Cremona) (Horo Records), with Misha Mengelberg, Paul Rutherford and Mario Schiano
1996: Serpentine (Songlines Recordings), with Dave Douglas
1997: 3 (VIA Jazz), with Michiel Borstlap and Ernst Glerum, reissued in 2004 by 55 Records
2000: Jazz Bunker (Golden Years Of New Jazz), with Eugene Chadbourne and Toshinori Kondo
2004: Free Touching: Live in Beijing at Keep in Touch (Noise Asia), with Wong Young, Andreas Schreiber, Dennis Rea, Steffen Schorn, and Claudio Puntin
2004: Home Safely (Favorite), with Curtis Clark and Ernst Glerum
2005: BBG (Favorite), with Michiel Borstlap and Ernst Glerum
2007: Amplified Trio (Treader Records), with Spring Heel Jack
2008: Monk Volume One (Gramercy Park Music), with Michiel Borstlap and Ernst Glerum
2009: Parken (ILK Music), with Joachim Badenhorst, Simon Toldam, and Qarin Wikström
2010: Laiv (Bassesferec), with Fabrizio Puglisi and Ernst Glerum
With Ray Anderson and Christy Doran

1994: Azurety (hat ART)
1995: Cheer Up (hat ART)
2011: Who Is in Charge? (Kemo), with Frank Möbus, Ernst Glerum, and Paul van Kemenade
With Gary Bartz, Lee Konitz, Jackie McLean and Charlie Mariano

1973: Altissimo (Philips)
With Paul Bley and Annette Peacock

1971: Improvisie (America)
1972: Dual Unity (Freedom)
With The Blueprint Project

2007: People I Like (Creative Nation)
With Anthony Braxton

1993: Anthony Braxton's Charlie Parker Project 1993 (HatART, 1995)
With Steve Beresford

1987: Directly to Pyjamas (Nato)
2002: B + B (Instant Composers Pool)
With Willem Breuker

1967: New Acoustic Swing Duo (Instant Composers Pool)
With Eric Dolphy

1964: Last Date (Limelight Records)
1964: Playing: Epistrophy, June 1, 1964 In Eindhoven, Holland (ICP; includes Misha Mengelberg and Jacques Schols; rehearsal tape for the above concert issued 1975)
With Peter Brötzmann

1968: Machine Gun (FMP)
1969: Nipples (Calig)
1970: Balls (FMP), with Fred Van Hove
1973: Brötzmann/Van Hove/Bennink (FMP) with Fred Van Hove, also known as FMP 130
1977: Ein Halber Hund Kann Nicht Pinkeln (FMP)
1977: Schwarzwaldfahrt (FMP)
1979: 3 Points and a Mountain (FMP), with Misha Mengelberg
1980: Atsugi Concert (Gua Bungue)
2001: Fuck de Boere (Atavistic) recorded in 1968 and 1970
2004: Still Quite Popular After All Those Years (BRÖ Records)
2006: Total Music Meeting 1977 Berlin (BRÖ Records)
2008: In Amherst 2006 (BRÖ Records)
With Eric Boeren

2012: Coconut (De Platenbakkerij), with Michael Moore and Wilbert de Joode
With Marion Brown

1967: Porto Novo (Freedom)
With Sean Bergin

1988: Kid's Mysteries (Nimbus West)
With Uri Caine

2013: Sonic Boom (816 Music)
With Eugene Chadbourne

2001: 21 Years Later (Train Kept A Rollin') (Leo Records)
2005: Chad and Han (House Of Chadula)
With Don Cherry

1971: Orient (BYG)
1971: Actions (Philips)
With Daniele D'Agaro

2003: Strandjutters (hatOLOGY), with Ernst Glerum
2010: Fingerprints (Artesuono), with Alexander von Schlippenbach
With Ellery Eskelin

1998: Dissonant Characters (hatOLOGY)
With Terrie Ex (and others)

2000: The Laughing Owl (Terp Records)
2002: Ethiopia Tour 2002 (Not On Label)
2006: Transparancy-Wolk 3 (Terp Records), with Rik van Iersel, Bart Maris, and P Jacomyn
2007: Zeng! (Terp Records)
2010: Let's Go (Terp Records), with Brodie West
With Cor Fuhler and Wilbert De Joode

1998: Bellagram (Geestgronden)
1998: "Zilch" (ConundromCd)
2003: Tinderbox (Data Records)
With Frode Gjerstad

2009: Han & Frode (Cadence Jazz Records)
With Kees Hazevoet

1978: Calling Down the Flevo Spirit (Snipe Records)
With Will Holshouser and Michael Moore

2011: Live In NYC (Ramboy Recordings)
With ICP Orchestra

1979: Live in Soncino (Instant Composers Pool, AD LIB)
1982: Japan Japon (Instant Composers Pool)
1984: Extension Red, White & Blue (Instant Composers Pool)
1987: Two Programs: Performs Herbie Nichols and Thelonious Monk (Instant Composers Pool)
1990: Bospaadje Konijnehol I (Instant Composers Pool)
1991: Bospaadje Konijnehol II (Instant Composers Pool)
1997: The Instant Composers Pool 30 Years (Instant Composers Pool)
1999: Jubilee Varia (hatOLOGY)
2001: Oh, My Dog (Instant Composers Pool)
2004: Aan & Uit (Instant Composers Pool)
2006: Weer Is Een Dag Voorbij (Instant Composers Pool)
2009: Live at the Bimhuis (Instant Composers Pool)
2010: !ICP! 50 (Instant Composers Pool)
2010: ICP Orchestra (Instant Composers Pool)
2014 East of the Sun (Instant Composers Pool)
2015: Misha Enzovoort (Instant Composers Pool)
2016 Restless in Pieces (Instant Composers Pool)
2020 De Hondemepper (Instant Composers Pool)
2025 Happy Birthday -> Naar Zee Z.O.Z. (Instant Composers Pool)
With Kazuo Imai

2003: Across the Desert (Improvised Music From Japan)
With Mikko Innanen and Jaak Sooäär

2006: Spring Odyssey (TUM Records)
With Guus Janssen

2005: Groet (Data Records)
With Steve Lacy

1978: Lumps (Instant Composers Pool), with Michel Waisvisz and Maarten Van Regteren Altena
With Little Willie Littlefield

1983: I'm in the Mood (Oldie Blues)
With Keshavan Maslak

1980: Humanplexity (Leo Records), with Misha Mengelberg
2008: Bim Huis Live 1st Set (Hum Ha Records)
With Myra Melford

1997: Eleven Ghosts (hatOLOGY) recorded 1994
With Misha Mengelberg

1971: Instant Composers Pool 010 (Instant Composers Pool)
1972: Een Mirakelse Tocht Door Het Scharrebroekse no. 1-6 (Instant Composers Pool)
1974: EinePartieTischtennis (FMP, Instant Composers Pool), live
1975: Coincidents (Stichting ICP Geluidsdragers, Instant Composers Pool)
1978: Midwoud 77 (Instant Composers Pool)
1978: Groupcomposing (Instant Composers Pool), with Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker, Peter Bennink, Paul Rutherford, and Derek Bailey
1978: Fragments (Instant Composers Pool), with John Tchicai, and Derek Bailey
1982: Bennink Mengelberg (Instant Composers Pool)
1985: Change of Season (Music Of Herbie Nichols) (Soul Note), with Steve Lacy, George E. Lewis, and Arjen Gorter
1991: Dutch Masters (Soul Note), with Steve Lacy, George Lewis, Ernst Reyseger, and Han Bennink
1998: MiHa (Instant Composers Pool)
2001: Four in One (Songlines Recordings), with Misha Mengelberg Quartet (Dave Douglas, Brad Jones, Han Bennink)
2004: Senne Sing Song (Tzadik)
With Kenny Millions

2003: Bootleg (Hum Ha Records)
With Pino Minafra

1987: Tropic Of The Mounted Sea Chicken (Splasc(H) Records), with Misha Mengelberg, Michele Lomuto, and Unknown Artist
1991: Noci...Strani Frutti (Live At Europa Festival Jazz) (Leo Records), with Ernst Reijseger
With Michael Moore

2001: White Widow (Ramboy Recordings), with Alex Maguire and Mark Helias
With Simon Nabatov

2003: Chat Room (Leo Records)
With Armen Nalbandian

2011: Coup de Grace (Blacksmith Brother)
With Mark O'Leary

2008: Television (Ayler Records)
With Evan Parker

1970: The Topography of the Lungs (Incus) with Derek Bailey
2002: The Grass Is Greener (psi)
With Alessandra Patrucco

2006: Circus (Instant Composers Pool), with Tristan Honsinger, Misha Mengelberg, and Ab Baars
With Dudu Pukwana

1979: Yi Yole (Instant Composers Pool), with Misha Mengelberg
With Roswell Rudd

1983: Regeneration (Soul Note), with Steve Lacy, Kent Carter, and Misha Mengelberg
With Paul Ruys

1966: Lover, Come Swing With Me (Philips), with Pim Jacobs, Ruud Jacobs, and Wim Overgaauw
With Manfred Schoof

1969: European Echoes (FMP)
With Irene Schweizer

1996: Irène Schweizer & Han Bennink (Intakt Records)
2015: Welcome Back (Intakt Records)
With Jaak Sooäär

2013: Beach Party (Barefoot Records)
With Spring Heel Jack

2003: Live (Thirsty Ear), with Matthew Shipp, Evan Parker, J Spaceman, and William Parker
With Aki Takase

2011: Two for Two (Intakt Records)
With Cecil Taylor

1988: Spots, Circles, and Fantasy (FMP)
With Rik van Iersel

2005: Transparancy-Wolk No. 3 (Rikordings)