Jazz Drums

Pieter Bast (april 27th, 1964), completed in 1988 his study at the Sweelinck Conservatory of Amsterdam with top marks and got his degree as “Teacher and Performing Artist Improvised Music”.

In the period 1985 -1988 he was the leader of a successful Quintet “PB-5 ” , which won in 1986 the first price at the NOS – Meervaart Jazz Contest, Amsterdam, and was also awarded as being best soloist of this contest. In 2012 he started a new quintet called        “ Pieter Bast E.S.P. Quintet “  to promote European Jazz Standards, and released his first CD as a bandleader in October 2014 called “Midnight Song”. In januari 2018, the second CD entitled “La Condition Humaine” will be released.

From 1988 up until now Pieter Bast has been performing as a sideman with several highly respected musicians (f.e. Kenny Wheeler, Eddie Bert, Urbie Green, Charlie Mariano, Bob Mintzer, Eric Vloeimans, Marnix Busstra, The European Concert Orchestra, Hugh Hopper, Amina Figarova, Marjorie Barnes, Paul van Kemenade, Mike Mainieri, Luluk Purwanto) and have been touring with them throughout Europe, Canada, Indonisïa, Africa, India and the Middle - East.

These past projects are to be heard on more than 40 CD’s which are worldwide distributed.

The press highly acclaims his melodic, inspiring and subtle approach of his instrument in combination with a delicate balance between rhythmical freedom and swing.

A short bio will follow shortly.

Stéphane Galland was born into a musical family and received his first drum set at the age of three. He decided to take lessons in classical percussion when he reached the age of nine, at the conservatory at Huy (Belgium) and started playing jazz with his fellow pianist Eric Legnini two years later. At the age of 13, having had the opportunity to play with the best jazz musicians in Belgium, he developed a growing interest in this musical field. Always in search of new musical experiences, he met Pierre Vandormael, Fabrizio Cassol and Michel Hatzigeorgiou, and formed later with the last two the band called AKA MOON. The band, which recorded over 25 CDs and performed worldwide has been a unique and invaluable field of development and experimentation with different musical traditions. 

In 2019, Stéphane Galland was selected by the French magazine “Batterie Magazine” as one of the top 10 drummers of 2018 worldwide.
He has composed three pieces for solo piano entitled Jeux (1.Unisson, 2.Waves and 3.Transe) that were released on Isil Bengi’s album “Hikaye” on Fuga Libera in 2020. His latest personal projects include “Polar Dwarfs” a duet with Adriaan van de Velde (also known as Pomrad), album to be released in September 2021, and “The Gallands” a duet with his son Elvin Galland (Keybords and producer with many different artists including Manu Katché (French drummer for Peter Gabriel, Sting,…). His actual collaborations include: Ibrahim Maalouf “S3NS”, SHIJIN, Keyvan Chemirani & the Rhythm Alchemy, Frank Woeste “Pocket Rhapsody”. He is teaching Master degrees in drums, rhythm and ensemble at KCB Royal Conservatory of Brussels and Antwerp and is regularly invited to give seminars, Clinics and Master classes worldwide. And is currently doing a PhD on cultural roots and interactions of contemporary rhythm in jazz.