Frank van der Kooy

Frank van der Kooij (1957, the Netherlands, Rotterdam) started to play saxophone at the age of 12. Three years later he performed with the first Dutch-Surinam afro-jazz band Toemoekhoemak (Tumuk humak), a formation that combined fusion and free jazz. In 1985 he met English bass player Hugh Hopper and he soon joined the Hugh Hopper Band touring Europe. Frank started his own improvisation band NDIO in 2001, which, again, included Hugh Hopper. NDIO epitomizes the approach he has had throughout his musical career to date: exploring different musical styles and bringing them together in a fusion of jazz with elements of rock, folk, ambient, classical music and sampling. These mix of musical disciplines is still the inspiration for the music Frank writes for TNNO ( The New NDIO Orchestra ).