Sometimes, life presents you with opportunities you couldn’t have dreamed of as a young boy growing up in a small town in the south of Holland.
Back then, I spent hours listening to crackling cassette recordings of my distant musical heroes. One of those heroes was the legendary pianist and keyboardist George Duke.
So when producer Co de Kloet called me with an incredible proposition—to write arrangements for the Metropole Orkest featuring none other than George Duke—I didn’t hesitate for a second.
One unforgettable night, over a long dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Rotterdam, George and his manager, Herb Cohen, sparked the idea of performing a piece George had never played live before: Adonis.
This hard-bop masterpiece from the 1960s became the centerpiece of our collaboration. What made it even more special was George’s generosity. Instead of handing me a predetermined setlist (as is common for arrangers), he said, “What do you want to do? You choose!”
The result? My arrangement of Adonis, performed by the world-renowned Metropole Orkest, featuring a touch of Beethoven-inspired piano octave extravaganza to close it out.
This project remains one of my most cherished memories—an intersection of artistry, collaboration, and a little bit of magic.