Chris Hinze's 70 year career in music--and it's still going!

Chris Hinze is a Dutch musician, producer, promoter, record company owner and humanitarian who was born in the Dutch East Indies where his father was a prominent orchestra conductor. The circumstances of World War II caused his family to move several times for safety, eventually back to Europe, but it can be deduced that Chris's thirst for exposure to international musical traditions and penchant for the fusion of these traditions into the musics he was making or performing was almost innate. Though trained in the Western traditions of "classical music" in European musical schools, Chris's natural affinity to all types of music led to an early attraction and exploration of American Jazz. What made him make the sudden shift in his late 20s to return to school to study (and master) the flute is a bit mysterious, but it was the key instrument that helped Chris not only bridge the idioms of jazz and rock but also to excite his music-based international travels. In America, through his experiences while attending on scholarship the Berklee College of Music, he met many influential dignitaries of music including the already-legendary Herbie Hancock--who called Chris a "kindred spirit." Back home, from 1969-1971, Chris was able to make his first series of album recordings--which were flute-focused jazz-lite explorations of admired composers and artists including Georg Philipp Telemann, Antonio Vivaldi, and Burt Bacharach. Then he caught the exciting new Jazz-Rock Fusion bug, which resulted in the production of some of the best early Jazz-Rock Fusion albums to ever come out of Europe.
     A trip to India in 1974 took him through the USA and then landed him in Japan for a spell in which he studied under renowned shakuhachi flute master, Hozan Yamamoto--with whom he recorded three albums. Overall, this trip resulted in a new direction for Chris: one that included more infusion of the World Music traditions he had seen and heard on his travels. This transformational experience proved to set the tone for the rest of his life: travel, learn new instruments and musical styles, record and tour new compositions with indigenous musicians of those new traditions, travel some more. East-West Fusion of World Musical and instrumental traditions become the modus operandi for the rest of his life (which he is still living!) Thus, Chris is considered as one of the first true pioneers and longest active promoters of East-West World Fusion. (I LOVE and respect Chris for his musical appreciation for and his adventurous spirit that was incessantly trying to learn and work with musicians from many ethnic musical traditions over the course of his long career--including those of Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent--even moving into fully-improvisational music performances over the last 30 years--his seventh, eighth, and ninth decades on the planet!!!)

     This blog, however, is intended to remaining focused on A) Jazz-Rock Fusion and B) the peak or classic era of said musical movement. Therefore, the albums listed below will only be representing Chris's brief but concentrated and highly-productive period acting in the thick of Jazz-Rock Fusion. During his rather brief three-year period of focusing on Jazz-Rock Fusion, Chris worked quite closely with a core group of extremely talented musicians, including "smooth scat" vocalist Henny Vonk; keyboard artists Rob Van De Broeck, Jasper van't Hof, Wim Stolwijk, as well as Supersister founder, Robert Jan Stips; guitarists Philip Catherine and Siegfried "Sigi" Schwab (before Sigi turned to the electric bass), and, for the foundation for his remarkable rhythm section, the duo of Americans that Herbie Hancock sent him: bassist John Lee and drummer Gerry Brown.

CHRIS HINZE COMBINATION Virgin Sacrifice (1972) is an album of jazz-tinged, classical music-inspired easy listening songs on which Dutch flutist Chris Hinze enlists the support of a skeleton crew of jazz-oriented musicians--two of which hail from the United States--to mete out his slightly experimental, totally-personal vision. It seems obvious to me that Chris had substantial financial backing because A) he produces a quick array of self-led albums here in his Dutch home in his 30s, gathering around him up-and-coming artists who were probably paid well for their assistance in supporting and legitimatizing Chris's personal crusade to bring the flute and classical music themes and styles to a broader, more radio-friendly number of consumer/listeners and then helps B) produce (financially back) projects by those who had helped him (Wim Stolwijk, John & Gerry, Sigi Schwab, Jasper van't Hof, Toto Blanke, Joachim Kühn, Philip Catherine, and more)--even giving them studio time in his own private studio, Keytone Studios, for his own private record production company (Keytone).

     Perhaps Chris had been part of an orchestra or done graduate studies in the 1960s and was now ready to make manifest the ideas he'd come up with in his 20s. Perhaps he'd suddenly come into a substantial amount of money. We do know that he was born in Dutch Indonesia but that his family was forced to move (several times) due to the effects of World War II. Back in Europe, he trained as a classical pianist (in the tradition of his world-renowned orchestra conductor father) but quickly moved toward jazz--the medium by which he first became known for his concert performances in the late 1950s and early 1960s. We also know that he was part of a Big Band jazz band with revered band leader, Boy Edgar in 1966. We also know that he apparently became enamored with the flute and decided to return to school in his late 20s for training in such: first at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and then in Boston at the Berklee College of Music.

     On Virgin Sacrifice, the American expats he acquired thanks to friend and "kindred spirit"ª Herbie Hancock, John Lee and Gerry Brown, are not even required for every song, and when they are it is rarely with the hard bop or heavy dynamic contributions they might have been hoping for: their performances are more supportive and space-saving rather than filling or free form. As a matter of fact, John is mostly relegated to upright double bass and Gerry is asked to do mostly cymbal and brush work support (when he's asked at all).   

CHRIS HINZE COMBINATION Mission Suite (Released in December of 1973) this is the first album in which Chris's solo work reflects a new direction--one away from the pastoral easy listening personal renderings of famous folk, popular, and classical themes. Something has got under Chris's skin and he is ALL ON BOARD with that Jazz-Rock Fusion thing! 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Cees See / percussion
- Wim Van Der Beek / percussion
- Henny Vonk / vocals, percussion
- Chris Hinze / composition, piccolo flute, producer, arrangements, flute, alto flute
- Gerry Brown / drums
- John Lee / bass, composition, arrangements, electric bass
- Rob Van De Broeck / electric piano
- Sigi Schwab / guitar, guest, twelve-String guitar, electric guitar

1. "Di-da-de-lu-da" (8:08) Chris must have heard the music and work of Michal Urbaniak and his stunning vocalist wife, Urszula Dudziak, because this song bears a very strong resemblance to the music that these two had been making in Germany before they emigrated to the United States (in September of the very year this album was released). (The Urbaniaks had, in fact, recorded an album at Keytone Studios in this same year.) This is full-pm Jazz-Rock Fusion, noting the fact that not only was Chris paying attention to what was going on in the music world around him, but that he was listening to his collaborators, interested in growing and trying new things, and a very quick study of new styles. The sophistication and maturity of this song when compared to the music on his previous albums is truly remarkable. And John Lee and Gerry Brown and the other jazz-oriented musicians on board must have been very pleased to be "let loose" to play with the reckless abandon that was all the rage in the Jazz-Rock Fusion world. (13.75/15)

2. "Mission Suite" (14:50) very high octane First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion, at times feeling like an amped up Miles Davis session for Bitches Brew, at others sounding very much like Mwandishi-era Herbie Hancock. Hearing John Lee let loose on his double bass during the middle section is awesome, with the gentle yet-supportive electric piano of Rob Van De Broeck. This is then followed with some unaccompanied solo electric piano. Henny Vonk's haunting Flora Purim-like vocalese returns--as does Gerry Brown's cymbal and light tom-tom play, as Rob Van De Broeck continues putting us to sleep. Chris's flute returns in the fourteenth minute to help take us to the end. I am here reminded of yet another "new direction" Chris has committed to with this album, and that is a more collaborative democratic leadership style. On his previous album releases Chris was almost never not in the lead, used supplemental musicians as mere "atmospheric thickeners" for the support of his flute. Now, this is not my favorite kind of Jazz-Rock Fusion: it's too loose and unstructured, but I commend Chris for his growth. (26.25/30)

3. "Deliverance" (11:20) Jazz-Rock Fusion that seems to be straddling the fence of whether or not it wants to be rock-pop like SANTANA or jazz-rock-classical fusion like Eumir Deodato, Herbie Hancock, or Freddie Hubbard. It gets good in the fifth minute as Chris really gets involved with his spirited flute play. He is really good! And the band rises to the occasion around him--as if inspired by his contagious and almost-reckless enthusiasm. Again I am more reminded of Mwandishi-era Herbie Hancock and friends during this motif. By the end of the eighth minute Gerry, John, and Rob really have the band cruisin' along with the force rivaling anything Chick Corea's RTF ever did--even in their peak Romantic Warrior days. (No wonder Gerry was chosen to take Lenny White's place for the end of the Return To Forever wagon train.) A song that gets better and better the further into the song you go. (18/20)

4. "The Ballad" (3:49) steady piano chord play with bass, drums, electric fuzz guitar, frantic flute and sitar pull off a remarkable little jam. (9/10)

5. "Bamboo Funk" (5:26) a song that starts very delicately--almost like a psychedelic folk song--but then it starts to turn into the real groovin' tune it becomes at the end of the first minute. John Lee's infectious bass play seems to amp everybody up as electric guitar, drums, and electric piano start really giving more in the second and third minutes. At 2:20 Chris enters with his flute--which becomes more and more impassioned as the song progresses--as everyone participating over John Lee and Gerry Brown's passionate play in the rhythm section begins to get infected. Actually, virtually everyone becomes part of the impassioned rhythm section of this great song--including Chris, Henny Vonk, and Sigi Schwab's manic-strumming 12-string acoustic guitar. How fun! What a great send off for both the band members and the album listeners! (9.5/10)

Total Time 43:33

I love the spirit of Chris Hinze's new direction--which results in some truly top notch First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.

89.80 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of surprising Jazz-Rock Fusion. I'm inclined to want to bump this up to five stars due to the amazing leap forward Chris has taken and for the high, high quality of compositional daring and performative enthusiasm he created here. Mega kudos, M. Hinze! 

CHRIS HINZE COMBINATION "Sister Slick" (1974) Recorded on a 16-track recorder in Weesp, Holland, on May 25th, 26th, 29th, 30th 1974 with Emile elsen engineering for producer, arranger, and principal composer Chris Hinze.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Chris Hinze / producer, writing, arrangements, flute, alto flute
- Rob Van Den Broeck / piano, grand piano, electric piano, soloist
- Jasper Van 't Hof / piano, electric piano, soloist, organ
- Henny Vonk / vocals
- Jan Huydts / piano, grand piano, synthesizer, soloist
- Philip Catherine / acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Gerry Brown / percussion, drums
- John Lee / bass, writing
- Robert Jan Stips (Supersister, Golden Earring) / organ

1. "Skyrider" (8:28) a song that opens with Jan Huydts' piano playing (with synthesizer strings supporting) a variation of the second movement (Adagio sostenuto) of Sergei Rachmaninoff's 1900–1901 Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18, a song that classically the trained composer (and son of a world class orchestra conductor) would have been intimately familiar with. (The Raspberries' Eric Carmen's would make an international hit song, called "All By Myself," based upon the same theme. Perhaps Eric heard Chris's version, though it is far more likely that he picked it up from his music studies with his Aunt Muriel who was a concert violinist with the Cleveland Orchestra when it was under the direction of George Szell--who had built "the world's greatest symphonic instrument" ªº.) Anyway, at the end of the first minute, the song jumps into a long (90 seconds) proggy segue into an "electric" orchestra symphonic bridge (which sounds tremendously like something fellow Dutch band FOCUS had done or would do), which ultimately empties out onto an RETURN TO FOREVER-like funk-jazz showpiece for instrumental virtuosity. Philip Catherine gets one of the first solos while John Lee and Gerry Brown provide a very Stanley Clarke-Lenny White-like foundation speeding along beneath. All the while, composer Chris Hinze's flute is buried a little into the mix, giving it the feeling/effect of being a supportive thread in the large tapestry being created. In the sixth minute Chris's flute is moved to the front while Philip's stll-raging electric guitar soloing is moved back into the far background (but you can still hear him!) A Chick-Corea-like electric piano is right there on the right side, supporting, embellishing, and encouraging the others. Man! That segue in the eighth minute is intense--and so well played!

     From the start to finish of this song I began to wonder if this is an example of Chris trying to emulate the Deodato move that the Brazilian bandleader made in co-opting a piece of classical music on his recent world-wide hit album, Prelude. (Eumir had made a jazzed-rock fusioned version of Richard Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra"--which had been re-made famous and popular by its use in the fairly recent sci-fi film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. The song had achieved massive success around the world in 1973.) Was Chris hoping to achieve similar commercial success with his own jazz interpretation of a particularly accessible classical music theme?

     Whatever his motivations or influences, I think Chris has achieved something quite extraordinary here. The sound engineering/mix could be a little better, but I think he has found the perfect ensemble of musicians necessary to do this great song justice. (19/20)

2. "Easy Answering" (8:41) flute-led smooth jazz with a definite foot in the realms of funk-jazz (due to the processing and forward mix of John Lee's distorted funky bass). Philip Catherine's lead guitar work in the first half of this one is much more in line with the electric jazz guitar players of the late 1960s than the modern styles (and sounds) promoted by the likes of Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, Bill Connors, and the latest phenom, Al Di Meola. Henny Vonk's wonderful "smooth-scat" vocalese is used prominently throughout the song's second half. She sounds strikingly similar to Flora Purim (as opposed to Urszula Dudziak or Annie Haslam--the three most well-known female vocalists attempting this style of wordless scat-singing at the time). A very solid song with lots of entertainment value; well worth repeated listens in order to try to pick up all of the wonderful contributions of the ensemble's individuals. (18.5/20)

3. "I Like To Feed A Smile On Your Face" (5:21) more of John Lee's stanky funk bass, fast and forward, drives this song as well if not more than the song's melodies and excellent drumming. I wish the sound recording/engineering choices had been a little better: the mix is a bit unbalanced and there is a scratchiness and disappointing distortion throughout. I love Philip Catherine's "tarnished and degraded" electric guitar sound. I like the spread on this one: John Lee's bass low and center; Philip Catherine's stinky rhythm guitar in the right channel, the dirty Fender Rhodes in the left channel, the drummer covering the entire field from down below, and Chris's flute in the very middle (but not mixed forward at all). Everybody is made equal in importance in this kind of mix. Cool! At the same time, one can definitely get a sense for the limitations a 16-track recorder places on the engineer and producer: there is only so much sound one can jam into each and every song. Hence, the single track, start-to-finish allocations of the individual musicians' performances (with volume and panning dials the main method of singling out the soloists.) (9/10)

4. "Unity" (9:44) a delicate, richly-melodic electric piano motif (that Steely Dan would base their iconic 1976 song, "Aja" on) opens this one. At the end of the first minute the piano backs down and Chris's low, breathy flute takes the lead, soon supported/dueted with Henny Vonk's Burt Bacharach-like vocalese. The song takes an unexpected and almost-awkward shift--twice!--in the second minute (at 1:15 and again, more permanently, at 2:05). Then we're off to the races as John and Gerry power an awesome cruise over which the Fender Rhodes takes the lead for a bit before a brief bridge early in the fourth minute leads to a complete stop. The music is again picked up, at first by solo flute, and then by the full band, shifting into a Latin-based section that actually uses two different motifs (with three different bass patterns!) over which Chris and Philip provide the lead entertainment. I love Philip's reactive rhythm guitar play here! But I really love the brave stylistic switches throughout  this awesome song. The Latin'Caribbean motifs in particular give it so much life! Again, I can't help but wonder if Donald Fagen and Walter Becker had any exposure to this song or album before setting into the creation of their Aja album. A real gem of a song, this is! (19/20)

5. "The Second Coming" (6:28) John Lee's single contribution to the album's compositions, it opens with a brief introductory period before shifting into third gear with a more-loose- and broad-spectrum-than-usual jazz-rock fusion motif over which flute, wordless voice, and  electric guitar share the initial exposition of the main melody. Then everybody settles back to support Chris's flute with John doing that chunky free-floating "dirty" bass thing he's been doing pretty much the entire album. Electric piano and far off Arp Synth strings provide an awesome floating feeling (quite similar to the way Lenny White incorporates this effect on his Venusian Summer album) as Philip Catherine takes the lead (twice! in two different channels!) The fullness and smooth groovity of the entire song is so enticing, so lilting, so enjoyable that I feel that I could float along this river/stream forever! Definitely one of the best John Lee compositions (and renderings) I've yet heard. Awesome! A perfect song!(?) (10/10)

6. "Sister Slick" (5:03) floating Arp Odyssee synth--sounding like something from a GONG album!--over which syncopated rhythm track is laid down. It's complex and herky-jerky but not enough to totally alienate the listener; one can still pick up and appreciate the fine performances of the musicians despite the rather loose and "undefined" roles everyone has been assigned. (Which, in this respect, gives the song a kind of bluesy "practice workout" feel: i.e. feeling as if the composition was not properly finished; they'd captured a rather one-dimensional jam on tape and decided to keep it and stick it on the end of the album. The slow fade out at the end also adds weight to this theory: strongly suggesting that this jam went on for some time after the cut was made.) (8.875/10)

Total Time 43:45

The flow and style of this entire album has, to my ears and mind, the feel of that of DEODATO's masterful 1973 album release, Prelude--which was released in January of 1973 and rose to international fame and acclaim on the backs of both the amazing hit song "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)." Like Prelude, Deodato had employed a pre-eminently perfect matched flutist for his album in the personage of Hubert Laws--a long-established jazz artist that Chris admired greatly. We also know from Chris's heritage, musical training, and ever-evolving, ever-eclectic musical tastes that he was very prone to like a new style or trend, learn and master it, and then use his new information and skill to create new music and, being a producer and independently wealthy music studio owner, produce an album using the finest musicians within his reach (which could be achieved easily if money was never a restriction).  

93.75 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a full-blown, indisputable masterpiece of peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! The whole world should know this album!  

ªº from music critic Donal Henahan's New York Times obituary article on the passing of George Szell (31 July 1970). "George Szell, Conductor, Is Dead". The New York Times. p. 1. ISBN 9780405111532. 

This is all very pleasant, very pretty music--much of which has been gleaned from masterpieces of classical music world as well as some contemporary modern day pop and cinematic composers (like Burt Bacharach) as well as some international/"world music" melodies and themes. I am especially impressed with the versatility and perfect fitting touch of keyboard artist Wim Stolwijk as well as with the double bass support play of American expat John Lee. I'm a little put off by Chris's claim of full compositional credit for the entirety of the album when there are so many themes so blatantly borrowed or at least modified for his own "compositions." At least there could be some liner notes crediting the songs and artists who inspired each of his own "compositions." 

1972-74: During this span of two years, Chris's activity in terms of his contributions to Jazz-Rock Fusion might have resulted in the finest cluster of Jazz-Rock Fusion albums ever mustered in Europe.

- Recorded June 19 & 20 and October 9, 1972, Chris Hinze Presents: Wim Stolwijk : Clair-Obscure

- In June 23 & 24 in 1973, Chris oversaw and participated in the recording of John Lee & Gerry Brown's first solo album, entitled Infinite Jones, which was released in 1974. (90.88 on the Fishscales.)

- The album Mission Suite by the Chris Hinze Combination was released in December of 1973. (89.80 on the Fishscales.)

- Chris Hinze (with Louis Van Dyke & Jan Goudswaard) Sketches on Bach

- On March 9 & 19, 1974, Chris oversaw and participated in the recording of Charlie Mariano's most excellent, Cascade. (92.03 on the Fishscales.)

- On March 16 & 17, 1974, Chris oversaw the recording of Jasper van't Hof's Eyeball. (89.21 on the Fishscales.) 

- In May of 1974, Chris participated in and produced Toots Thielemans & Friends for Toots Thielemans. (89.90 on the Fishscales.)

- On May 25th, 26th, 29th, 30th 1974, Chris participated in and produced the recording of his own album, under the band name Chris Hinze Combination, "Sister Slick". (93.75 on the Fishscales.) 

Somewhere in the mid-1970s Chris opened his own recording studios for his production company, Keytone Records. On November 5, 2023 Chris gave his last live concert performance to a sold-out Concertgebouw audience in Amsterdam--at the age of 85!