Rony Verbiest

Instruments : Baritone saxophone, Accordion, Alto saxophone
Date of birth : 26/06/1956 - Zelzate
Date of death : 21/01/2024 - Zelzate

Ronny VERBIEST starts playing the accordeon at the age of 6, learning from his father, himself a well known accordeon player.

At the age of 14 he studies saxophone and percussion, first at the academy of Lederberg, then at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, where he also studies chamber music.

He receives a First Prize for saxophone at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

He then joins the Belgian army bands of "Luchtmacht" and the "Guides", which not only play marches, but also classical pieces.

However, jazz catches his interest more and more. In 1975, he joins the Big Band Sound led by Freddy COUCHÉ in Wetteren.

In the eighties, he forms his own band, COOL MOOD with Serge PLUME (tp), Peter HERTMANS (gt) and Bart DE NOLF (bass).

In 1989, the BRT radio invites him to join the band DE FRISSE WIND

In the saxophone quartet SAXOLOGIE, he plays a large repertoire, ranging from classical to jazz.

He plays live with several big bands, a.o. ACT Big Band.

In 1990, Flemish pop singer and songwriter Johan VERMINNEN hires him to play the accordeon for the recording of his song "De Musette", a.o. with guitar player Koen DE CAUTER.

From that point, Rony VERBIEST gets more and more involved in that instrument, a.o. with LES PETITS BELGES.

Rony VERBIEST progressively developed his own voice on the accordeon. He enriches traditional musette with jazz elements, classical music, folk music, and also the Argentinian tango, as illustrated by Astor PIAZZOLA.

With his peers Richard GALLIANO and Marcel AZZOLA, Rony VERBIEST is becoming one of the new voices on the instrument.

Rony VERBIEST creates his own trio with Hendrik BRAECKMAN (gt) and Mario VERMANDEL (bass).
The trio forms the nucleus of the album Ah Bah Joât (CD RV 3), recorded in 1998 with guests such as Johan VERMINNEN (singer) and Marc GODFROID, with he also performed in a jazz context.