Tom Dissevelt
Thomas (Tom) Dissevelt (4 March 1921, Leiden – 1989) was a Dutch composer and musician. He is known as a pioneer in the merging of electronic music and jazz. He married Rina Reys, sister of Rita Reys, in 1946.
Tom Dissevelt was also known as bassist/arranger of the Skymasters, and contributed to recordings by Rita Reys.
Between 1939 and 1944 Dissevelt studied at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. He took over three years in trombone lessons, then went on to study clarinet, music theory and piano. He discontinued his clarinet studies owing to schedule conflicts but later studied bass under the tutelage of Herman Stotijn of the Residentie Orchestra.
After the war Dissevelt moved to Indonesia with the Jos Cleber Orchestra to work. He was in love with Rina Reys, and they married in 1946. In 1947 he went on an international tour with Wessel Ilcken, the husband of Rita Reys, and the orchestra of Piet van Dijk. This tour lasted three years and was particularly focussed on Spain and North Africa.
In 1955 Bep Rowold, leader of the Skymasters, hired Dissevelt as a bassist and arranger. Dissevelt became interested in twelve-tone serialism, listened to the many German radio stations, and heard works by Karlheinz Stockhausen and Anton Webern. Recommended by Philips, he was invited to Natlab, where together with Dick Raaijmakers (alias "Kid Baltan") he composed electronic music. In 1959 Dissevelt and Raaijmakers released The Fascinating World of Electronic Music (Philips), which in 2003 David Bowie would deem one of his 25 all-time favorite albums.[1] Many more of Dissevelt’s compositions may be heard on the anthology album Popular Electronics: Early Dutch Electronic Music from Philips Research Laboratories, 1956–1963 (2004, Basta).
The emergence of pop music, along with such constitutional changes in the music industry as the disbandment of radio orchestras, compelled Dissevelt to give up orchestra work altogether. He then resolved to become an assistant to renowned Dutch entertainers such as Wim Sonneveld and Toon Hermans.
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References
- ↑ Bowie, D., "Confessions of a Vinyl Junkie", Vanity Fair, Nov. 2003.
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