Musicians Corner with guest Olaf Keus, all-round percussionist
Olaf Keus (Amsterdam, 1962) began playing the bongos and congas at the age of six. From the age of eleven, he took drum lessons with Ton Rooijers, who later also taught him at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (Dutch conservatoire of music). From 1991 to 1998, he performed with the late saxophonist and singer Rosa King. He also played with Brazilian guitarist Célio Roberto Silva and with ‘The Fours’, an international quartet performing Afro-Caribbean and Latin jazz, salsa and Brazilian music alongside original compositions. The group features singer Deborah Carter, flautist Ronald Snijder, pianist Mike del Ferro and saxophonist Efraïm Trujillo.
Olaf has also performed with Brazilian singer Ceumar and with 4Sure, a quartet whose music combines Surinamese Paramaribop and jazz with Brazilian and Cuban influences. He has toured with 4Sure throughout Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Suriname and French Guiana. As a percussionist, he is also part of Vientos del Sur, a quartet performing flamenco and South American songs.
Playlist:
1 Rosa King , It just Happened
| Rosa King – Vocals, Sax
Rainer Holiday Black – Bass Roger Happel – Keyboards Stephan Jankowski – lead Guitar Olaf Keus – Drums Dwight Muskita – Percussion |
2 Herbie Hancock, 4 A.M.
Herbie Hancock – all keyboards
Harvey Mason -drums
Jaco Pastorius – bass
Bill summers – percussion
3 4Sure, Nene
Juan Pablo Nahar – bass
Mark Milan – piano
Efraïm Trujillo – tsax
Olaf Keus – drums
4 George Duke, Cravo e Canela
| George Duke – vocals keyboards
Byron Miller – bass Ricky Lawson – Drums Airto Morera – Percussion Ronald Bautista – Guita |
5 Tania Maria, Yatra-ta
Tania Maria – Acoustic piano, electric piano, vocals
John Purcell – Alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
Walfredo Reyes – Drums, timbales
John Peña – Electric bass
Dan Carillo – Guitar
Frank Colon – Percussion
6 Raya Haze & Olaf Keus, Alien Funk
Raya Haze – trompet flugel horn – backing track
Olaf Keus – Percussion
7 Labryenco, El Viento del Este
Alain Labrie – Gitaar, balalaika, bouzouki, oud (en composities/teksten)
Franklin Heilijgers – Fretless bas (basgitaar)
Jaro Stulratjer – Viool en cello
Antal Steixner – Percussie
8 Ceumar, Dindinha
| · Ceumar – zang en akoestische gitaar
· Webster Santos – cavaquinho, gitaar en mandoline · Pedro Macedo – akoestische bas (contrabas) · Luiz Cláudio – percussie · Carlos Ranoya – piano · Thomas Rohrer – viool · Swami Jr. – 7-snarige gitaar
9
Paquito D’Rivera -Altsaxofoon en klarinet Claudio Roditi -Trompet, flugelhorn en trombone Michel Camilo – Akoestische piano en Yamaha DX7 synthesizer Daniel Freiberg – Synthesizer Lincoln Goines & Sergio Brandao – Elektrische bas Steve Gadd & Portinho – Drums en percussie Sammy Figueroa – Congas en percussie Jose Neto – Akoestische gitaar en percussie |
He accompanies writer Tosca Mentes in her theatre productions, performs in a duo with trumpeter Raya Haze and has toured Europe, India and Asia with Indonesian singer and pianist Nita Aartsen.
Olaf teaches drums and directs ensembles at the Amsterdam Music School. He also leads workshops, including sessions in body percussion, and designed a ‘Drum Bike’ to support workshops and other events.
Since 2021, he has been making sculptures from old pianos. His 20th exhibition has recently opened at the WIHH Gallery in Amsterdam.
