Thijs Van Leer
| Thijs van Leer | |
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Thijs van Leer at Zoetermeer Jazz in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Born | 31 March 1948 |
| Origin | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
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| Years active | 1969–present |
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Thijs van Leer (pronounced: /tɛis vɑn lɪ:r/; born 31 March 1948) is a Dutch musician, singer, songwriter and composer, best known as a founding member of the rock band Focus as its primary vocalist, Hammond organ player, and flautist. He also yodels and whistles. In his later years, van Leer went on to release many solo albums which were also classical music and jazz-based.
Van Leer was born on 31 March 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He began playing the piano at age three, and later received lessons from famed pianists Maria Stroo (later Marja Bon) and Gerard Hengeveld. At eleven, van Leer was given a flute by his father, a classical flautist and businessman, but wished to pursue jazz music instead after he discovered the genre at thirteen, particularly through Miles Davis albums. He said, "I suppose I wanted to reject what I was brought up on. But then I thought the combination of jazz and classical music could be used in rock." His mother could sing, and his two brothers played the bassoon and piano and flute, respectively, and the family would often play music at home together. Van Leer also took up painting, modelling, and performing in plays.
After attending Hilversum Grammar School, van Leer did not feel confident enough to attend a music school, so he studied art history at Amsterdam University, which was "very dry". He then learned harmony and counterpoint at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, but disliked the lessons and left early. This was followed by a degree in the flute and composition at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève in Geneva. Van Leer also received tuition on the piano, orchestration and arrangement with composer and conductor Rogier van Otterloo, and organ with Anthon van der Horst. During his time studying, van Leer was a pianist in a jazz band and went on to become a member of a Canadian-based band, The Collectors. He also participated in plays including those by William Shakespeare and John Webster. Van Leer has cited Steve Winwood, Traffic, Brian Wilson, and The Beach Boys as musical influences who helped inspired him to pursue rock music, with Béla Bartók and Johann Sebastian Bach among his favourite composers.
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