Karel Boehlee was born in Leiden (Holland), April 23, 1960. He started playing the piano at a young age. His father introduced jazz music to his life. Karel’s mom played classical music for her family, while his brother enjoyed afro-american music like Stevie Wonder Aretha Franklin and James Brown. His sister was more interested in popmusic. This created the perfect environment for many musical styles to be gathered. Boehlee learned how to play the piano through listening and not by taking lessons. When he was over 20 years old, he realized that he wanted a career as a professional musician. He studied at The Royal Conservatory of The Hague in 1983. Since then Karel Boehlee played with Toon Roos, Martijn van Iterson, Peter Tiehuis, Ferdinand Povel, Theo de Jong, Jesse van Ruller, Simone Pormes, Toots Thielemans, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Roberta Gambarini, Lo van Gorp, Hein van de Geyn, Martijn Vink, Gino Vannelli, Joris Roelofs, Ben Herman, Philip Catherine, Hans van Oosterhout, Frans van der Hoeven,Tom Beek, Fay Claassen, Peter Erskine and many more. He recorded with most of these people. He recorded 8 CD’s with Hans van Oosterhout and Hein van der Geyn for the japanese record label Keystone Records. Karel toured Japan and Korea last year with this trio. Karel is Holland’s most well-kept secret. When I returned from the United States in the 1980s, I was just beginning to hear him perform. He was the first modern pianist I heard in Holland. What a level! Karel’s performance has only improved over the years. The lines became more thought-provoking, the harmony was more precise, and the rhythm was always very strong but got larger in the pocket. But there was something stronger than all of these ingredients: the sound. Karel’s unique sound seems to touch the heart of music. Karel has impeccable taste and will always create something new. from http://www.karelboehlee.com
