JASPER VAN 'T HOF - Eye-Ball (1974 Jazz Rock/Fusion • Netherlands)Full Album

Jasper Van 't Hof biography From that very special land known as the Netherlands - home to bands like Focus and Supersister, which blended progressive rock with a strong jazz sensibility - comes pianist and keyboardist Jasper van 't Hof, born on June 30, 1947, in Enschede, Overijssel. His father was a jazz trumpeter, and his mother was a classically trained singer. Although he dedicated himself to jazz, he never defined himself solely by that genre; in every band he joined, he fused in other musical currents. In 1969, he was part of ASSOCIATION P.C. alongside drummer Pierre Courbois, whom he had met at the age of 19 at the Loosdrecht Jazz Competition, guitarist Toto Blanke, and bassist Sigi Busch. It was there that he first played the electric piano, continuing to delve into fusion with his subsequent band, PORK PIE, in 1974. This is where his path crossed with other famous bands from his country, as he formed the group with guitarist PHILIP CATHERINE (who had played with Focus) and saxophonist Charlie Mariano - who, in addition to playing with Embryo, had also been a member of Supersister. Alongside his work with Pork Pie, he launched a solo career with albums such as "Eyeball" (1974), in which he incorporated classical piano passages into a jazz-rock fusion style. The music featured progressive and psychedelic elements - partly due to his collaboration with guitarist Wim Overgaauw - and at times resembled the early Return to Forever lineup featuring Al Di Meola, incorporating electronic elements alongside Zbigniew Seifert's violin. "The Selfkicker" (1977) was the second release and featured Pierre van der Linden on drums, among others; with a much more minimalist approach, it represents a radically different take on fusion. "However" (1978) featured Alphonse Mouzon on drums and John Lee on bass - who had previously played with The Eleventh House and Larry Coryell - alternating between acoustic and electric fusion. Throughout the 1980s, he continued working in parallel on several solo piano albums, electronic experimentation with synthesizers (such as the 1982 release "Visitors/Crystal Bells"), and the formation of a new band, Pili Pili - with which he fused European jazz and African music, thereby reaching a new dimension in live performances. Jasper Van't Hof did not view music as a solo endeavor; in 2005, he formed another group called Hotlips, revisiting the fusion genre - this time as a sextet - on the album "Neverneverland". Until 2007, he also taught at the Basel Academy of Music, where he headed the performance division of the newly established "Production and Performance" program. His most recent recording is "Conversations" (2022), featuring a classic quartet alongside his friend Paul Heller (on saxophone and clarinet), a project he described as "a puzzle where all the pieces fit perfectly." He does not adhere to the conventional rules of how jazz should be played, and he misses the fluidity of his band Pili Pili, which functioned seamlessly outside the jazz idiom despite featuring great jazz soloists. "Conversations" is, in essence, a reconciliation with that old friend who has accompanied him throughout his life. Biography written by Fercandio46, October 2026. Studio Album, released in 1974 Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Bax 00:00 2. Viber Snake 08:02 3. Eyeball I 13:18 4. Hyrax 19:59 5. Schwester Johanna 22:56 6. Laur 29:15 7. One Leg Missing 33:35 8. Eyeball II 36:43 9. The Rev 41:44 Total Time 45:53 Line-up / Musicians - Jasper Van't Hof / Acoustic piano, keyboards - Zbigniew Seifert / Violin - Wim Overgaauw / Electric guitar, banjo - John Lee / Electric bass - Gerry Brown / Drums, percussion