Kris Defoort

Kris Defoort is a Belgian avant-garde jazz pianist and composer. He was born in 1959 in Bruges. He is very active as both a musician and a composer. He also teaches at the Brussels conservatory. His brother is Bart Defoort (saxophonist and composer).

He entered in 1978 the Antwerp conservatory to study ancient music and flute. He graduated 4 years later and he then decided to study contemporary music and jazz at the Liège conservatory. Frederic Rzewski, Henri Pousseur and Garrett List were among his teachers. In 1986 Defoort released his first recording with his quintet Diva Smiles. The next year, he went to New York to study at New York Long Island University Brooklyn. He recorded there with Vincent Herring and Jack DeJohnette. On his return in 1991, he founded his own ensemble named K.D.'s Pretty Big Basement Party. The following year, he recorded the first CD for De Werf label (based in Bruges) with K. D.'s Basement Party. In 1995 he composed (with Fabrizio Cassol) the Variations On A Love Supreme. Defoort took part in the Octurn project in 1996 (he had already composed their 1994 album) and began to play with Mark Turner. A year later he recorded with Aka Moon on Elohim. He then formed a new ensemble (Dreamtime). He composed an opera in 2001. He also has his own quartet with Mark Turner (tenor saxophone), Nicolas Thys (basses) and Jim Black (drums).

Bands

He leads (or led):
* Diva Smiles
* K. D.'s Basement Party
* K.D.'s Decade
* Variations On A Love Supreme
* Kris Defoort's Dreamtime
* Kris Defoort quartet
* Kris Defoort trio

He has recorded as a member of:
* Garrett List Ensemble
* Deep In The Deep
* Octurn

References

* [http://www.jazzinbelgium.org/mus/defoortk.htm Jazz in Belgium website]