Sean Bergin
(Durban, 1948) has been musicly active in Amsterdam & around the world
since 1975 . He is saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and
band leader. He has played & still plays with many of the best improvisors
of music & other creative forms. Born in South Africa he was naturally
influenced by the rich South African jazz and being in Amsterdam in the 1970’s
the creative ideas of the improvisors got under his skin. These different
elements led to an original sound of his own. In 2000 he won the Boy Edgar
prize, a top Dutch jazz award. He is the initiator of M.O.B.(My Own Band) with Han Bennink (drums), Eric Boeren
(trumpet), Tobias Delius (sax & clarinet), Frankie Douglas (guitar), Ernst
Glerum (bass), Jan Willem van der Ham (sax & bassoon), Alex Maguire
(piano), Mary Oliver (violin), Wolter Wierbos (trombone) - a group he started
as a way of featuring his compositions. M.O.B.
CD’s: Kids Mysteries (Nimbus Records); Live at the BIMhouse (BV Haast), Copy Cat (BV Haast), MOB
Mobiel (Data Records).
SONG MOB is a new idea for the M.O.B. with
singers & improvisors Phil Minton, Maggie Nicols, Mola Sylla. Some of the material will be approached in a traditional manner, eg.
songs (solo, duo, trio) with lyrics & instrumental accompaniment, but most
of the compositions will have an improvisational element, some more than
others. This group starts it’s first tour end of march 2005.
NANSIKA with Sean Bergin (sax , pennywhistle), Leo Bouwmeester
( piano), Franky Douglas (guitar), Jacko Schoonderwoerd ( bass), Victor de Boo
(drums). Bergin formed this group as a tribute to South African composers, many
of whom were his teachers. Playing compositions by Dudu Pukwana, Chris
McGregor, Louis Moholo, Abdullah Ibrahim and original compositions , they
explore the music through improvisations, melody and rhytm. This band has released its first CD in november 2005st titled
Nansika (datarecords).
The INFORMAL TRIO with Sean Bergin (sax), J.J. Avenel
(bass), John Betsch (drums). They all played with legendary jazz-pianist Mal
Waldron & got together for a memorial concert after his death. That was
enough to decied to continue. Waldron’s compositions feature in the material. Sometimes
a 4tet with a special guest.
TRIO SAN FRANCISCO is a group formed by 3 friends: Sean
Bergin – Daniel D’Agaro – Toby Delius. Saxes, clarinets, flutes, concertina,
movements +. They play a wide variety of styles & became famous as the
worst dressed trio in Holland. CD: Prisones of pleasure (BV Haast).
When in town,
Sean Bergin plays with Victor de Boo (drums) and Jacko Schoonderwoerd (bass)
every sundayafternoon from 16.30 to 19.00 at A’dams famous jam-session in café
De Engelbewaarder (Kloveniersburgwal 59)
and every saterdayafternoon at the recent organised jam-session in café
Museum (Lineusstraat 29 - opposite the Tropical Museum).
Sean Bergin
1013 RW Amsterdam
Netherlands
Tel.: (0031)(0)20-4869919// (0)20-6852786//
(0)6-30336005
e-mail: bergin@xs4all.nl