Bert van den Brink was conceived on the 24th July 1958. When he was five years of age, he took his first lessons on the piano. Bert began his classical training at the Conservatory of Utrecht in the Netherlands in 1976. He studied piano under Herman Uhlhorn, and graduated cum laude in 1982. He was also employed by the Conservatory of Utrecht in 1982 to teach jazz piano. Since childhood, he has been playing the piano and organ a lot. Bert is a complete self-taught musician in this area of music. After graduating, he gave several recitals of classical music. But the balance shifted to jazz over time. In 2007 Bert van den Brink got the VPRO/BOY EDGAR-AWARD. He performed and is performing with musicians like: Gino Vannelli, Richard Bona, Toots Thielemans, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chet Baker, Nat Adderley, Benny Golson, Heleen van den Hombergh, Denise Jannah, Lee Konitz, Miranda van Kralingen, Rick Margitza, Willem Hellbreker, Philip Catherine, Jesse van Ruller, Clare Fischer, Enrico Pieranunzi, Louis van Dijk, Jules de Corte, Cor Bakker, John Engels, Hein van de Geyn, Hans van Oosterhout, Maria Markesini and Thomas Oliemans. He was the pianist for the quartet Dee Dee Bridgewater in 1990 and 1991. He was for many years the musical director of the Denise Jannah band. He was also the pianist of the Heleen Van den Hombergh quartet. Bert was a vocalist with Miranda van Kralingen on the “Vocal Variety” program. Bert van den Brink is a solo jazz pianist who can be heard live on the internet, or via CD. All under the name Bert’s Bytes. Bert has recorded many solo albums in the past. One of these albums, “Jazz at the Pine Hill”, was nominated for an Edison Nomination. Bert performs in duo with a.o. : Gino Vannelli vocals, Maria Markesini vocals, Toots Thielemans harmonica, Jesse van Ruller guitar, Philip Catherine guitar. In 2004, the Bert van den Brink trio, which also included bass player Hein van der Geyn and drummer Hans van Oosterhout, released their first album as a trio called “Between Us”. He is also a sideman and continues to record (see discography). Bert recorded the song cycle from Franz Schubert’s Winterreise with Thomas Oliemans as his vocalist. His works are performed by the Metropole Orchestra and the Dutch Woodwinds Ensemble as well as Denise Jannah. His arrangement of Porgy, the opera by the Dutch Woodwinds Ensemble is one of his highlights.
