Searing Quartet
The Searing Quartet was formed in 1995 at the Maastricht Conservatory in The Netherlands.
Pianist Egbert Derix and saxplayer Peter Hermesdorf took the initiative to form this band as a “vehicle” for their own compositions and musical ideas.
In 1995 they played at the “Dutch Conservatory Award” in Amsterdam and that same year they performed for the Dutch radioshow “Vpro’s Jazz op Vier” which was hosted by Aad Bos. In 1997 they won the “publieksprijs” (prize given by the public) at the “Internationale Jazzconcours” in Breda.
The quartet has performed in The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. In 1999 the Searing Quartet’s debut-cd, “Aquamagia”, was released. “Aquamagia” with Geert Roelofs on drums and Werner Lauscher on acoustic bass was produced by Christoph Erbstoesser and features the compositions of Derix and Hermesdorf . The debut album was very well received by the public and the press.
In 2001 the Searing Quartet played the final of the Dutch Jazz Competition in the Diligentia Theatre in The Hague at the eve of the North Sea Jazz Festival. In november 2001 the Searing Quartet was honored with the first Jerry van Rooyen Award.
In 2003 ‘Set Sail!’, their second cd, was released, and the Searing Quartet played at the North Sea Jazz Festival.
2004: release of cd ‘Starling Hill’.
In september 2006 ‘Starling Hill’, performed by the Searing Quartet, is judged one of the best ten jazzcompositions at the annual Thelonious Monk Competition in Washington D.C.
2007: release of cd ‘Licence to Extend’.
In 2008 Iain Matthews & Searing Quartet release the album ‘Joy Mining’. The cd is also released in the UK on the Fledg’ling label.
In 2009 Egbert Derix receives a composition assignment from the Schunck* Glaspaleis in Heerlen, Netherlands. The Searing Quartet performs his suite ‘Jirayu’.
2010: Searing Quartet celebrates its 15 year anniversary.
In 2014 “Joy Mining” is released in the US by Omnivore Recordings.
The Searing Qartet: Egbert Derix, Peter Hermesdorf, Norbert Leurs en Sjoerd Rutten.
From the left to right: Peter Hermesdorf, Sjoerd Rutten, Egbert
Derix, Norbert Leurs (picture: Jacqueline Machado de Souza).
Egbert at North Sea Jazz Festival, 13-7-2003. Picture: Wouter Schenk
First prize for composition at North Sea Jazz Festival 2002.
Peter Hermesdorf at North Sea Jazz Festival, 2002.