Koen De Bruyne -

Koen De Bruyne (1946 — 1979) was a Belgian keyboardist and composer who made the 1974 Vogue album Here Comes the Crazy Man!, followed by the 1978 Hans release In Kluis. In 1975, he teamed with French library musician Janko Nilovic in the jazz-funk studio project Mad Unity. As a sessionist, De Bruyne appeared on albums by Afro-rockers Black Blood and Benelux singers Ferre Grignard, Johan Verminnen, and brother Kris De Bruyne.

Background

Koen De Bruyne was born on March 23, 1946, in Antwerp, Belgium. He was one of seven children of historian Arthur De Bruyne; his siblings included painter and designer Joost De Bruyne and singer-songwriter Kris De Bruyne. Koen studied classical piano at Koninklijk Conservatorium Antwerpen and entered professional music as a pianist.

De Bruyne played organ and keyboards in Jelly Fish in 1971 with trumpeter-flutist Claude Deron, bassist-singer Dick Devries, guitarist François Arnaudeau, and drummer Tony Thans. Jelly Fish played several concerts at Théâtre 140 on the Belgian leg of a Velvet Underground tour and joined composer Henri Pousseur for the Midi-Minuit event at Palais des Congrès in Liège.

De Bruyne moonlit in Paul’s Collection, an Antwerp rock group led by singer Paul Syniawsky. Koen’s organ/piano runs through their May 1971 RCA single “Who Could See?” (b/w “Song for the Lonely”).

De Bruyne played piano on the self-titled Ferre Grignard album in 1972 and replaced Raymond van het Groenewoud in Johan Verminnen’s backing group that year. Verminnen retained De Bruyne for “Ze Zingt Na Na Na” and placed him in charge of arrangements and musical direction on Album 3. Verminnen recorded “Laat Me Nu Toch Niet Alleen” with De Bruyne on piano in November 1973 alongside keyboardist Dan Lacksman, guitarist Nick Roland, bassist Yvan De Souter, and drummer Jean-Pierre Onraedt.

De Bruyne also worked in a Brussels session team with Roland, bassist Pino Marchese, and Onraedt. He drew from the same studio circle for his first solo sessions at Studio Madeleine in Brussels, where bassist Yvan De Souter, drummer Jean-Pierre Onraedt, and trumpeter Richard Rousselet joined the recordings that became Here Comes the Crazy Man!.

Discography: