Kurt VAN HERCK acquires a taste for jazz while listening to John COLTRANE, Charlie PARKER, Dewey REDMAN, Bill EVANS, Ornette COLEMAN,....

Takes his first lessons with saxophonist John RUOCCO and pianist Dennis LUXION. He also studied with Greg BADOLATO, Steve HOUBEN, John and Jeff CLAYTON and Larry SCHNEIDER.

In the meantime, he plays with Belgian musicians - Dré PALLEMAERTS, Erik VERMEULEN, Karl VAN DEUN, Erwin VANN, Michel HERR, Bert JORIS, Félix SIMTAINE, Jean-Louis RASSINFOSSE, Philippe AERTS, Michel HATZIGEORGIOU, Daniel ROMEO, Salvatore LA ROCCA, Stéphane GALLAND, Bruno CASTELLUCCI, Eric LEGNINI, Pierre VAN DORMAEL, David LINX, Diederik WISSELS, Nathalie LORIERS, Steve HOUBEN, Jacques PELZER and Toots THIELEMANS.

He also played aside many foreign musicians like Serge LAZAREVITCH, Joe LOVANO, Larry SCHNEIDER, David LIEBMAN, Alain JEAN-MARIE, Michel MATTHIEU, Joe HAIDER, Slide HAMPTON, Bob MOVER, Calvin OWENS, Tony CASTELLANO, Claudio DE QUEITOZ, Stéphane BELMONDO, Louis NASH, George MRAZ, Claudio RODITI, Danielo PEREZ and Antonio HART.

On few occasions he accompanied pop artists, as wel as Victor LAZLO, Kadja NIN and Axelle RED.

Since 1986, Kurt VAN HERCK was a member of various groups, a.o.:

Serge LAZAREVITCH Quintet (Paris, France),
Nathalie LORIERS Quartet,
BIG BAND PASSAGE (Lille, France),
ACT BIG BAND,
Kris DEFOORT Basement Party,
BRUSSELS JAZZ ORCHESTRA,
Diederik WISSELS Group.
RENAUD 5, the band of drummer Renaud PERSON
Amina FIGAROVA

With his groups, he played in different clubs around Europe or in festivals like :

Middelheim Jazz Festival,
the Festivals of Gouvy, Liège, Lundis d'Hortense, etc...in Belgium,
North Sea Jazz Festival in The Netherlands,

in France festivals of:

Mans,
Sète,
Auxerre,
Montpellier,
Maubeuge,
Bordeaux,
Poitiers,
Niort
Mulhouse

In Switzerland:

Lausanne,
Fribourg,
Cuilly

Worked, on a regular basis for the B.R.T. (Flemish radio) jazz orchestra and represented Belgium in 1988 for the E.B.U. Big Band in Yougoslavia. With Nathalie LORIERS Quartet, he won the competition of the French speaking radios in 1990.

Kurt received the DJANGO d'OR award for 1997.

Since 1993, he had the opportunity to form his own groups :

the Kurt VAN HERCK - Kris GOESSENS Quartet, an acoustic band
ALL THE WAY (electric band) with Daniel ROMEO (electric bass), Kris GOESSENS (keyboards), Dré PALLEMAERTS (drums).
the Kurt VAN HERCK Trio

ADDITIONAL DISCOGRAPHY
(See top of page for main discography)

NORTH SEA TENTET	PartOne	(1986), September
Serge LAZAREVITCH Quartet	London Baby	(1990), Igloo
Nathalie LORIERS Quartet	Nymphéas	(1991), Igloo
Diederik WISSELS Quartet	Kamook, special guest David LINX	(1992) B Sharp
PASSAGES	Passages, special guest David LIEBMAN	(1992)
Serge LAZAREVITCH Quintet	Walk with the Lion	(1994) Igloo
Diederik WISSELS Group	The Hillock Songstress	(1994) Igloo
Amina Figarova	"Firewind"	(1999) Munich records BMCD302
Amina Figarova	"Night Train"	(2002) Munich records BMCD330
Amina Figarova	"Come Escape with Me"	(2005) Munich records
Amina Figarova	"September Suite"	(2005) Munich records