Louk Boudesteijn,

(trombonist/composer/producer)

After hearing old (jazz) records from his mother’s collection as a young kid, Louk got totally hooked on music and started playing the trombone at the age of only five years old, switching to guitar and piano as a teenager. In his teenage years he started ‘Black Jack’, a 4 piece rockband for which Louk, now playing guitar, wrote the music. He later returned to his first instrument and as a self-taught musician with little technical and formal skills started to study jazz trombone at the conservatory in Tilburg where het met trumpet player Rob van de Wouw and started a band named 2hip2bjazz. With this band Louk won a small compostion price for his piece Joshua. He left Tilburg (Together with Rob) two years later to study with Bart van Lier in Rotterdam. Louk graduated from the Rotterdam conservatory in 2002 with great honours. In 2001 he won the Erasmus jazz-prize and played in Carnegie Hall, NY with his B&W quintet. Together with trumpetplayer Rob van de Wouw, Louk started the B&W quintet (2 releases: It’s About Time 2005 and Force of Habits 2008) and in 2003 Louk and Rob founded the Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra. A year later arranger/conductor/bassplayer Johan Plomp joined the group. Louk, Rob and Johan still form a rock solid team as artistic directors of the band. The RJO evolved into the New Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra by the and of 2012 with a new line up in a different setting in order to accomplish their artistic goals and focusing more on their own original written material. The RJO has been playing with the likes of Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Frank Lacy, Jason Lindner, Frank Moebus, Nicholas Payton, Mark de Clive Lowe, Benjamin Herman, Eric Vloeimans, Ernst Reijseger, Anton Goudsmit and so on.

In 2003 he is asked (together with Jan van Duikeren and Benjamin Herman) to join Paul Weller’s band for a couple of big European tours as well as recording the cd’s Studio 150 and As is Now. Together with fellow horn players Jan van Duikeren and Guido Nijs he forms The Special Request Horns, playing with Dutch pop/reggae stars BEEF! and releasing their own funk/jazz album Volume 1. The Special Request Horns since then have been touring and recording with the likes of Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Candy Dulfer, Caro Emerald, Racoon, Bløf, Di-rect and many others. Currently they play in the band of singer Marco Borsato and with Dutch rockband Di-rect.

Besides this Louk is also a much sought after sideman playing/touring with amongst others: Paul van Kemenade, Metropole Orchestra, Nueva Manteca, Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, Caito Marcondes, Groove Troopers, Efterklang, Anouk, NDR bigband, Big Bizar Habit, Waterland Sextet, Pierre Courbois, WDR bigband, and so on.

In 2010 he launched his very own eletrofunkjazzrock-band FULLDUPLEXX with their debut album F.FWD on Embrace Recordings and played a.o. at the North Sea Jazz Festival 2011. Their 2nd album Modern People was released on January 17th 2014 also on Embrace Recordings.

Together with guitarist Anton Goudsmit and saxophone player Nils van Haften he formed the trio EINZELGÄNGER  in 2015, released their debut album MUSICA GYMNASTICA in 2016 and played a.o. at North Sea Jazz Festival 2018. Currently Louk is writing new material to record.

Since December 2011 the Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra has changed to New Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra. Louk is the co-artistic director of this orchestra.

Besides his playing Louk is a passionate and productive composer as well. Einzelgänger and the NRJO are the main musical vehicles for which he’s currently composing.