Biography

Cees was born in Alkmaar, the Netherlands.
His first professional engagement was in the then famous Amsterdam jazzclub Sheherazade with quartet of drummer Wessel Ilcken and singer Rita Reys. After the war Slinger toured clubs of American Army and Air Force troops in Germany and France with Ted Powder Quintet. In 1956 Slinger plays for three months in a Copenhagen restaurant on the bass with Cuban mambo band led by Luis Cardenas.
As a pianist, later playing bass, tours Dutch and German nightclubs with Rob Pronk Sextet.

In 1957 Cees forms his own trio for lengthy engagements in The Hague and Scheveningen clubs; sometimes with Bob Cooper and Bud Shank added.

In 1958 Slinger forms his legendary quintet 'Diamond Five'. This band consisted of Cees Smal (trumpet), Harry Verbeke (tenorsax), Jacques Schols (bass) John Engels (drums) and Cees Slinger (piano). They played in Amsterdam Sheherazade jazzclub 6 days a week during three and a half years until April 1962; during this period accompanying many guest stars, among whom Stan Getz, Quincy Jones, Phil Woods and Clark Terry, Benny Bailey and Charlie Rouse.
Also the Diamond Five performs with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, conducted by famous conductor Bernard Haitink.

In 1961 the Diamond Five plays at the Antibes/Juan-les-Pins Festival.
Between 1962 and 1974 Cees freelances with various groups, a.o. the Johnny Griffin-Arthur Taylor quartet, and records with Diamond Five, Boy Edgar's Big Band, Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon (see discography). In 1965 Cees again plays at the Antibes/Juan-les-Pins Festival with Boy's Big Band and Betty Carter.

In 1967 a TV film Big Ben was recorded with Ben Webster and Cees at the piano.
Between 1974 and 1975 Cees had regular weekly radio broadcasts for TROS-Sesjun with his quartet, accompanying guest soloists Thad Jones, Joe Pass, René Thomas, Ray Nance, Nance, Benny Carter and others.

On the first North Sea Jazz Festival in 1976 Slinger plays with Illinois Jacquet, and Laren (Holland) and Middelheim (Belgium) festivals with Slide HamptonSeptet, including trombonists Bart and Erik van Lier and Jon English. Also a concert in Hamburg with Sonny Stitt and Philly Joe Jones.
Later that year Cees has his first European tour with Philly Joe Jones, together saxophonist Charles Bowen and bass player Wilbur Little.

In the years 1977 - 1978 Cees plays the North Sea Festival with George Coleman.
Clubdates with George Coleman, Bert Thompson and Otis Ray Appleton in Holland and Belgium. He has concerts all over Europe with Dusko Goykovich and Sal Nistico, including the Cascaïs (Portugal) Festival, where Cees also performs with Johnny Griffin.
After that concerts follow with Johnny Griffin and Dizzy Gillespie in Paris, Vienna and Brussels. He plays the Middelheim Festival with Slide Hampton-Clark Terry quintet.

Cees forms a new group called 'Just In Case', with trumpeter Ack van Rooyen, saxophonist Ferdinand Povel and trombonist Bart van Lier in the frontline.
In 1979 Cees participates in a tv film with Johnny Griffin and Arthur Taylor in Cannes (France).
Again Cees forms a new band with 'Piet Noordijk-Cees Slinger Quartet' (see discography). He plays the North Sea Festival with Cecil Payne and with Sonny Stitt.

In the years 1979 - 1989 Cees is a piano teacher and leads ensembles at Rotterdam Conservatory of Music. In 1981 Cees plays the North Sea Jazz Festival with bass player John Clayton, and Buddy DeFranco and Terry Gibbs.
In 1982 forms his 'Cees Slinger Octet' for TROS Sesjun radio broadcast. At the North Sea Festival he performs with this new Octet. See and listen to a composition from Dusko Goykovich 'From Way Back'.

Cees also performs with his trio, accompanies Anita O'Day, Turk Mauro and Piet Noordijk. Together with Ferdinand Povel, Cees represents Holland in EBU big band in London.

Starts working with singer Soesja Citroen; works with her until mid-1985. Later again from 1987–1996.
At the Heineken Festival in Rotterdam Hilton hotel Cees plays with George Coleman.

In 1983 Cees goes to San Jose in California (USA) for two concerts with the Cees Slinger Octet. Cees has concerts in Passau and Munich with Dusko Goykovich Summit Quintet, including Sal Nistico.
At the North Sea Festival he plays with Scott Hamilton, Marshall Royal, Buddy Tate and Warren Vaché, also with trombonists Al Grey, Curtis Fuller, Julian Priester, Britt Woodman and Albert Mangelsdorf.
The Heineken Festival of 1984 in Rotterdam Doelen theatre Slinger performs with Slide Hampton and Mark Murphy.

1985 is the year of his second European tour with Philly Joe Jones (4 weeks), this time with Clifford Jordan and bass player Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, later replaced by Isla Eckinger, and resulting in LP/CD 'Slingshot'.
Cees gives also a masterclass in Dworp (Belgium).

In 1986 Cees goes to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) for ten days with a.o. Dusko Goykovich and Sal Nistico.
At North Sea Festival that year the Cees Slinger trio plays with Flip Phillips, Scott Robinson and with Dutch saxophonist Joe Van Enkhuizen.
Concerts follow in Germany with Lou Donaldson and Arnett Cobb.

In 4 consecutive years (1986 - 1989) Cees takes care of the programming plus emceeing at the Jazz Inn Party in Noordwijk (Holland); also playing at the party with various American musicians, a.o. Jimmy Heath, Red Holloway, Conte Candoli, John Clayton and Ed Thigpen.
In 1987 Cees was invited to play with the Mingus Dynasty Band. They did an extensive European tour with Jimmy Knepper, Jon Handy, Craig Handy, Reggie Johnson and Danny Richmond, who was later replaced John Engels.


A year later Cees has concerts with Archie Shepp in Lyon (France) and with Freddie Hubbard in Paris New Morning.
Also a week in the Widderbar, Zürich (Switzerland) with James Moody.
That year Cees performs at the North Sea Jazz Festival with the Soesja Citroen Band.
Cees joined the group 'Bebop City', led by German singer Willy Johanns. They performed at clubs and festivals in Europe, a.o. Ivrea (Italy).
He also had more concerts with Dusko Goykovich, saxophonist Andy Sherrer, bass player Luigi Trussardi and drummer Alvin Queen. Later that year a week in Paris with the same group.

In 1989 Cees played a week in the Widderbar, Zürich with saxophonist Benny Waters; also a week in the same club with Dee Dee Bridgewater.
The Jazztime Festival in Hildesheim (Germany) Cees played with the Timeless All Star band consisting of Teddy Edwards, Jon Eardly, Dave Pike, Red Mitchell and drummer Jo Krause.
The Lysekill (Norway) Festival Cees played with vocalist Deborah Brown, bass player James Long and drummer John Engels.
At the Leverkusen (Germany) Festival Cees performed with Deborah Brown and Archie Shepp.
Again Cees joined Willy Johanns 'Bebop City'. In 1990 they played at the Burghausen (Germany) festival with this time Bert Joris on trumpet and Wolfgang Haffner on drums. Again one week in Paris with this group.

At the Amsterdam Drum Festival Slinger plays with Johnny Griffin, Bob Brookmeyer, Ernestine Anderson, Buddy DeFranco and Terry Gibbs.
At the North Sea Festival Cees performs with the Soesja Citroen band and a two weeks tour in Holland with Jimmy Knepper and Ferdinand Povel. At the Birdland Festival in Hamburg Cees plays with Dusko Goykovich, Johnny Griffin, Herb Geller, Jiggs Wigham, Red Mitchell and guitarist Attila Zoller.

In 1991 Cees goes to London. With Freddie Hubbard, Don Braden, Jeff Chambers and Louis Hayes he plays for four days in the London Jazz Café.
The same year at the Amsterdam Drum Festival Slinger plays again with Johnny Griffin, Bob Brookmeyer and Scott Hamilton. Cees also tours German clubs with Silvia Droste.
The German tour with Silvia Droste continues in 1992.
Later that year Slinger tours Germany with 'Bart’s Bones', a four trombone group led by Dutch star-trombonist Bart van Lier. In the same year at the 's-Hertogenbosch festival (Holland) Slinger performs with Scott Hamilton and singer Ingram Washington.
Cees receives the 'Duke Of Duketown' award at that festival. At the Rotterdam Heineken Festival Cees plays with Johnny Griffin.

In 1993 Cees plays a week with the NDR big band in Hamburg, accompanying tenor saxophonist Guy Lafitte.
That year is also a big tour With the John Engels All Stars, including Jimmy Knepper and Lew Tabackin, (23 concerts in four weeks!). At the North Sea Festival Cees Slinger trio accompanies Jon Faddis.
In the years 1994 - 1996 Cees plays three consecutive years at The Hague Voorhout Festival with his trio and 5 trumpets. At the 1994 North Sea Festival Cees is present with his trio plus Buddy DeFranco and Terry Gibbs. At the 1995 North Sea Festival Slinger performs with his
'Cees Slinger Octet 2nd Edition'.
In 1996 Cees tours several German clubs with his trio and Teddy Edwards.
In that same year Cees receives the prestigious Bird award at the North Sea Festival handed over by his musical idol and friend for life Cedar Walton. The Bird-winners concert was with Ray Brown, Toots Thielemans, Philip Catherine, Piet Noordijk and John Engels.
Also in 1996 Cees tours Spain, including one week in Madrid Café Central, with German saxophonist Carolyn Breuer, bass player Frans van der Hoeven and drummer Jo Krause.

In 1997 Slinger goes again to San Jose, California (USA). At the Jazz Festival he plays with Dutch saxophonist Ben van den Dungen and Dutch trumpeter Jarmo Hoogendijk plus a local American rhythm section.
In the same year Cees plays a solo piano concert for German television in Cologne's Subway club.
At North Sea Festival Cees accompanies workshops by Steve Turre and Clark Terry.

At the the Hague Voorhout Festival Cees performs with his Cees Slinger Octet plus Silvia Droste.

1998 is the year for a new band. Together with Dutch tenor saxophonist Simon Rigter. He forms new quintet
'Buddies In Soul' consisting of Dutch musicians Ruud Breuls on trumpet, drummer Joost Patocka and bass player Stefan Lievestro, later replaced by Johan Plomp.
This group plays at North Sea Festival on which Cees also does workshops with Stanley Turrentine, Slide Hampton and James Moody.

In 1997 Slinger does his second tour of Spain with the Cees Slinger-Carolyn Breuer quartet, again including a week at the Café Central in Madrid.
At the The Hague Voorhout Festival Cees plays with Buddies In Soul and 'Bart's Bones”', featuring Silvia Droste. Also in that year the Cees Slinger Octet celebrates the 25th anniversary radio concert of TROS Session.
In 1999 Cees presents the 'Cees Slinger's 70th Birthday Dreamband' at North Sea Festival, with trumpeter Ruud Breuls, on saxophone Jimmy Heath, on trombone Bart van Lier, bassplayer Ray Drummond and drummer Keith Copeland.
In 2000 Cees goes to the International Festival Sibiu (Rumania) with Silvia Droste. Also in 2000 Cees forms a new band 'Two Tenor Case', with saxophone player Sjoerd Dijkhuizen and Simon Rigter, bass player Frans van Geest and drummer Eric Ineke.

In 2001 Cees plays festivals and clubs in Germany with Silvia Droste.
At the 2002 Rotterdam World Port Festival Slinger plays with George Coleman. That year at the North Sea Festival Cees performs with Greetje Kauffeld, Ferdinand Povel, Paul Berner and Jo Krause. At the 2003 Rotterdam World Port Festival Cees is part of the John Engels All Stars. He tours clubs in Holland with his working bands: Buddies In Soul and Two Tenor Case.
At the North Sea Festival Cees plays a memorial concert for the deceased Dutch pianist Rob Madna, with trumpeter Ack van Rooijen saxophone player Toon Roos and Piet Noordijk, bass player Hein van de Geyn and drummer John Engels. Also at North Sea Festival Cees accompanies a clinic by Slide Hampton and plays a jam session with Frank Morgan a.o.

In 2004 the group 'Three Tenor Case', so revived after Ferdinand Povel is added to the frontline of Two Tenor Case, plays an extended series of concerts at Dutch clubs and Festivals, celebrating Cees' 75th birthday.
At the North Sea Festival his trio accompanies clinics by Lee Konitz and Kurt Rosenwinkel.
In 2005 Cees' trio concerts in Barcelona and Banyoles (Spain). Slinger revives the group Just In Case (viz. 1978) for a concert at the Laren (Holland) Festival. Cees also plays jam session commemorating the 30th anniversary of the North Sea Jazz Festival with Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson, Ray Drummond and John Engels.

In 2006 Cees has trio concerts in Valencia (Spain). Gigs all over Holland with the Buddies In Soul and Just In Case. Later that year was the start of the Jazz Impuls theatre concert tour with Dutch vocalist Greetje Kauffeld, to be continued in 2007.

In 2007 Cees did two days master classes at the ArtEZ School of Music, Enschede. Also a workshop with arrangements Cees Slinger Octet at the Rotterdam Conservatory and a workshop with Slide Hampton under the auspices of The Hague Jazz at the Regentenkamer. Cees has several concerts with Just in Case in clubs and at festivals.

Cees Slinger deceased September 29th.

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