Rick van der Linden
| Rick van der Linden | |
|---|---|
Van der Linden (right) (1974)
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| Background information | |
| Born |
5 August 1946 Badhoevedorp, Netherlands |
| Died | 22 January 2006 (aged 59) Groningen, Netherlands |
| Genres | Rock, progressive rock, symphonic rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Several keyboards |
| Years active | 1967–2006 |
| Labels | Philips, Atco |
| Associated acts | Ekseption, Trace |
| Website | Official website |
| Notable instruments | |
| Hammond B3 organ; grand piano; pipe organ; Hohner Pianet; Hohner Clavinet models L and D6; EMS Synthi A synthesizer; ARP 2600 synthesizer; Yamaha GX-1 synthesizer organ; Solina string ensemble; Mellotron; Optigan; harpsichord; | |
Rick van der Linden (5 August 1946, Badhoevedorp, North Holland - 22 January 2006, Groningen) was a Dutch composer and keyboardist. Van der Linden first gained fame as a member of Ekseption, but he played in several other bands including most notably Trace, as well as solo. Van der Linden was best known for his reworkings of classical music in a pop music domain, often with jazz improvisations.
Rick van der Linden was born in the village of Badhoevedorp, not far from Amsterdam, the second of five van der Linden children. His family moved when Rick was only 5 weeks old to Rotterdam, where they lived until 1957. He started piano lessons at age 7, but gave them up two years later because he wasn't enjoying them. When he was 11, his family moved again, to Haarlem where van der Linden attended the Triniteitslyceum. At 13, his father convinced Rick to try the piano again, so he was enrolled at the highly regarded Haarlem School of Music. Two years later he became a private pupil of the famous Haarlem professor, Piet Vincent. At 17, he entered the Haarlem Conservatory where Aad Broersen and Albert de Klerk tutored him in the organ. Van der Linden finished his studies two years later and in 1965 passed exams at the Royal Conservatory in Den Haag, winning honours in piano, organ, harmony and counterpoint. Van der Linden thought he might become a teacher at the Haarlem Conservatory.
Meanwhile, in the early 1960s, van der Linden fell in love with rock and roll, along with jazz and ballet music. While still a student he took a job in a nightclub bar, playing foxtrots, boogie-woogie, ragtime, films soundtracks, blues, tango, pop, Strauss waltzes and cabaret tunes while studying the classical masters during the day. He also found time to write music for several local ballet ensembles. In 1964, he formed his first band, a piano trio, and later a brass jazz septet which played for fun and rehearsal only (never playing any gigs). After graduation, van der Linden joined the Occasional Swing Combo, a professional jazz septet which played extensively. Simultaneously, he was also touring the Netherlands playing with symphony orchestras, and appearing as soloist in concerti by Bach, Rachmaninov, Beethoven and Mendelssohn.
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