Rob Agerbeek

Rob Agerbeek
Rob Agerbeek in July 2013
Background information
Birth name	Robbert Arris Jules Agerbeek
Born	(1937-09-28) 28 September 1937 (age 79) Batavia, Dutch East Indies
Genres	Boogie-woogie, Chicago traditional jazz, swing, contemporary jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1956–present
Labels	CBS, Polydor, Dexterity, Munich, Oldie Blues, Timeless, Lime Tree, Jazzz'91, Blue Jack Jazz, Venus
Associated acts	Rob Agerbeek Quintet, Rob Agerbeek Quartet, Rob Agerbeek Trio, The Grand Piano Boogie Train, Dutch Swing College Band, Rhine Town Dixie Preachers

Robbert Arris Jules "Rob" Agerbeek (born 28 September 1937 in Batavia (Jakarta)) is an Indo Dutch boogie-woogie and jazz pianist and winner of several jazz concourses in the Netherlands in the late 1950s. He is regarded as one of Europe's finest jazz pianists, covering the full spectrum of jazz styles from his early days of Boogie-woogie to Chicago traditional Jazz, swing and contemporary jazz.

In 1954 Rob Agerbeek and his family arrived in the Netherlands. He started playing the piano at the age of 17 or 18. Except for one piano lesson from his mother he is completely self-taught; he learned the piano by listening to records of Albert Ammons, Johnny Maddox, Winifred Atwell, Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis. In the first years of his career Agerbeek is mainly into Boogie-woogie and later in his career he expands his playing styles with bebop, hardbop and dixieland. He accompanied more than hundred, mainly American, Jazz musicians such as Ben Webster, Hank Mobley, Dexter Gordon, George Coleman, Johnny Griffin and Gene Ammons. Rob Agerbeek performed at international jazzfestivals as the Paris Jazz Festival, Hammerveld Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Kongsberg Jazz Festival and the Berlin Jazz Festival.

On 17 November 1996 Agerbeek celebrated his 40 years jubilee as an allround jazz pianist when he was presented with the membership of honour of the Hague Jazz Club.