Louis Van Dijk

Dutch Jazz Pianist and Composer

Dutch pianist, mainly active in the jazz genre. Born 27 November 1941 in Amsterdam, died 12 April 2020 in Laren. With his Louis Van Dyke Trio, the ensemble Shaffy Chantant and De Gevleugelde Vrienden, he was one of the most famous jazz pianists in the Netherlands from the 1960s. Louis van Dijk was a classically trained jazz pianist. He studied organ and piano at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and completed his piano studies cum laude, something he has always remained proud of. After his studies, he continued to focus on the classical repertoire, but mainly dived in jazz music. He managed to mix both genres in his own arrangements. All his life, Van Dijk has been inspired by classical music. Johann Sebastian Bach was his great source of inspiration, but melodies by many great masters appear in his oeuvre. In the 1960s and 70s, Louis van Dijk accompanied Liesbeth List and Ramses Shaffy in the Shaffy Chantant. Later he performed under the name of Winged Friends with Pim Jacobs and Pieter van Vollenhoven. He also often collaborated with other famous musicians from the Netherlands, such as Daniel Wayenberg, Toots Thielemans, Thijs Van Leer and Cor Bakker. Van Dijk won no fewer than four Edisons, nineteen gold and three platinum plates. Esophageal cancer was diagnosed in Louis van Dijk in 2011, since 2017, he suffered from Alzheimer's.. In 2018 he gave his last concert in Loosdrecht and then withdrew from public life. He thus completed an extensive career of 56 years.