Wim Bronnenberg (1962) began as a pop guitarist during his secondary schooling, but switched to jazz on hearing the Wes Montgomery-LP “Full House”. He graduated cum laude in Dutch language and literature in Utrecht before dedicating himself entirely to music. At the Royal Conservatoire he studied jazz guitar with Peter Nieuwerf and Eef Albers.

While a student he also started composing. One of his first pieces, “Time of the Gypsies”, he played with Pat Metheny in 1991.

Wim graduated in 1993 and gained his first international experience with the Dick de Graaf Septet during a coast-to-coast tour in Canada. The collaboration with Dick de Graaf led some years later to a remarkable challenge: a project in which the music of rock legend Jimi Hendrix was central (“The burning of the midnight lamp”). Wim played pure jazz music in the group of bassist and radio presenter Hans Mantel, with whom he also made a CD recording (“Fat chance”). On this recording pianist/arranger Jim McNeely was invited to reinforce a Dutch all-star lineup with Jasper Blom, Ben van den Dungen, Jurai Stanik and Martijn Vink. More fusion-type sounds arose from the collaboration with Italian pianist Alessandro di Liberto, with whom Wim brought out an enthusiastically received CD in 2000 (“Stream”). A more recent collaboration with vocalist Anne Chris (“Tomorrow is today”) is on the line between pop and jazz.

Now there is Wim's most recent project “Connected” in which he has created an entirely unique musical sound world. For his new band (with John Ruocco, Harmen Fraanje, Uli Glaszmann and Hans van Oosterhout) Wim has written repertoire in which jazz and other current musical influences are transformed into something new.

In the last decade Wim has played at festivals and in clubs in countries such as Canada, Germany, France, Belgium, Finland, New-Zeeland, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and Burkina Faso. He has also been regularly heard as leader and sideman at the North Sea Jazz Festival.

Wim has performed with many jazz greats both in The Netherlands and abroad, including Jeff Ballard, Michiel Borstlap, Jasper Blom, Mike leDonne, Ben van den Dungen, Ricardo del Fra, Hein van de Geyn, Kris Goessens, Dick de Graaf, Billy Hart, Jarmo Hoogendijk, Jacques Lafitte, Jim McNeely, Pat Metheny, Hod O’Brien, Eric Reevis, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ed Verhoeff, Martijn Vink, Eric Vloeimans, Dave Weckl, John Engels and Gijs Hendriks.

www.wimbronnenberg.nl