Biography Eric van der Westen

Born in a small medieval town at the coast in 1963, he grew up in an expanding industrial town in the south of Holland. Started playing guitar and bass guitar  in hard rock and new wave bands, he changed direction into contemporary jazz and improvised music in his early twenties and switched simultaneously to double bass.  He enrolled the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam and soon became a wanted sideman in professional bands and orchestras. He became a characteristic player with a big deep sound in the tradition of Charlie Mingus and Charlie Haden. Through the years he worked himself up to being one of the prime players in his scene, teaming  up with  the crème de la crème of professional improvisers.
From early age on he wrote his own compositions and while that skill was developed  he took a convincing direction of what his music was about and should represent.  Over the years he incorporated  influences from ethnic world music but also modern computer music  based modern experimental pop music.  Nowadays he is, besides being a strong bass player , an innovator in combining modern computer techniques with eclectic (instant) composition and crossover improvisation as well as being a driving force behind several artistic and music business initiatives. Additional information and pictures through weblinks on Eric van der Westen.

He's also an entrepreneur and works in the ict industry promoting the music software iMuzz. Check his Linked In profile here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericvanderwesten