Famous Pipe Smokers

Few musicians in the history of improvised music have completely redefined their instrument while simultaneously subverting the very idea of a concert performance. The Dutch percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist Han Bennink is one of those rare figures. A foundational pillar of European free jazz and avant-garde improvisation, Bennink transformed the drum kit from a timekeeping device into a kinetic theater of sound, where anything from a snare drum to a wooden floorboard, a megaphone, or a flying drumstick is fair game. ​Early Life and the Foundations of Swing ​Born on April 17, 1942, in Zaandam, Netherlands, Han Bennink was immersed in music from birth. His father was an orchestral percussionist who also played clarinet in commercial dance bands. Bennink’s earliest musical training came directly from his father, who taught him the fundamentals of classical percussion and the rigid discipline of swing drumming. ​During his teenage years, Bennink fell under the spell ...