Rob Agerbeek

Robbert Arris Jules (Rob) Agerbeek (Jakarta, 28 September 1937) is an Indonesian-born 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.

Early life and career
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.

Later career
Rob Agerbeek still occasionaly performs with his trio consisting of himself on pian and Ben Schröder on drums and Alex Milo on bass.

Rob Agerbeek's discography of over 40 albums include a double LP with Dexter Gordon live at the Haagse Jazz Club, five CDs with the Dutch Swing College Band and 10 recordings with his own bands of which two on the Oldie Blues label.

Selected discography

 * Boogie Woogie Party, as Rob Agerbeek Quintet, CBS, 1971
 * Homerun, as Rob Agerbeek Quintet, Polydor, 1971
 * Beatles' Boogies, as Rob Agerbeek, CBS, 1971
 * All Souls, as The Rob Agerbeek Trio featuring Dexter Gordon, Dexterity, 1972
 * Keep the Change, as The Rob Agerbeek Quintet, Munich, 1975
 * The Boogie Rocks, as Rob Agerbeek, Oldie Blues, 1975 (re-issue on CD, 1997)
 * Gibraltar, as Harry Verbeke/Rob Agerbeek Quartet, Timeless, 1980
 * Miss Dee, as Rob Agerbeek Trio, Lime Tree, 1981
 * Seven Steps, as Harry Verbeke/Rob Agerbeek Quartet, Timeless, 1983
 * Swing Gift, as Rob Agerbeek Trio, Jazzz '91, 1991
 * Second Opinion, as Rob Agerbeek Trio, Jazzz '91, 1992
 * Stardust, as Harry Verbeke/Rob Agerbeek, Timeless, 1992
 * Full House, as Rob Agerbeek Trio, Nuts Ziektekosten Verzekering, 1994
 * Three of a Kind, as Rob Agerbeek, Oldie Blues, 1997
 * That's all, as Ann Burton & Mark Murphy meet the Rob Agerbeek Trio, Blue Jack Jazz Records, 2004
 * Pardon My Bop, as Rob Agerbeek/Ruud Brink Quartet, Blue Jack Jazz Records, 2004
 * Homerun - volume 2', as Rob Agerbeek Quintet, Blue Jack Jazz Records, 2006
 * The Very Thought of You, as Rob Agerbeek Trio, Venus, 2007 (Japan)
 * Almost Blue, as John Marshall & The Rob Agerbeek Trio, Blue Jack Jazz Records, 2008
 * On Green Dolphin Street, as George Coleman and The Rob Agerbeek Trio, Blue Jack Jazz Records, 2010