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Biography
Trumpet player Eric Vloeimans (b. 1963) initially studied classical music at the Rotterdam Academy of Music. He got interested in jazz after meeting musicians from that department and switched - graduating with distinction in 1988 and continuing his studies in New York, studying with Donald Byrd and gaining experience playing in the big bands of Frank Foster and Mercer Ellington. He practises classical studies to keep his technique up to scratch; enabling him to shape his improvisational ideas; putting classical music at the service of jazz.
However, "technique isn't everything", according to Vloeimans. Don Cherry is one of his favourite players, though technically limited. But, according to Vloeimans, he spills over with ideas; remembering seeing Cherry play with academy players in the front row; who came to see what Cherry would do wrong so they could get back to the bar. But after a few hours they were still listening breathlessly. To Vloeimans, this is much more important than a 'show-off' like Maynard Ferguson, whom he says only plays high and hard. He rather hears Miles Davis or Booker Little.
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