Pallemaerts, Dré (B)

Born in Antwerp in 1964, Dré PALLEMAERTS received his first drum set at the age of 15. In 1975, he began studying music at the Academy in Antwerp. At the age of 15, he discovered jazz by playing charts by BASIE and ELLINGTON in big bands.

Some highlights of Dré’s career:

In 1985, Dré performed at the Singapore Jazz Festival, sent by the Belgian Ministry of Culture. Back in Belgium, he quickly joined the local jazz scene, playing with top Belgian jazz musicians: Steve HOUBEN, Jacques PELZER, Michel HERR, Bert JORIS, Charles LOOS, and others.
Dutch pianist Jack VAN POLL invited him to join his trio with bassist Hein VAN DE GEYN. The trio accompanied various soloists such as Arnett COBB, Spike ROBINSON, Dave PIKE, and singers like Etta CAMERON, Deborah BROWN, and Dee Dee BRIDGEWATER.
With vocalist Dee DANIELS, he toured throughout Europe, Africa, and the US, where he spent some time in Seattle, working with singer Ernestine ANDERSON, pianist James WILLIAMS, and trumpeter Art FARMER.

With pianist Michel HERR and bassist Hein VAN DE GEYN, he accompanied soloists like Slide HAMPTON, Wolfgang ENGSTFELD, and John RUOCCO. Alongside HERR, VAN DE GEYN and trumpeter Bert JORIS, he toured and recorded with American saxophonist Joe LOVANO.
In 1988, he spent eight months in New York, playing with Judy NIEMACK, John CAMPBELL, Fred HERSCH, and David KIKOSKI.
Back in Belgium, he joined guitarist Philip CATHERINE's trio with Hein VAN DE GEYN, touring Europe, Asia, and Africa. He also toured and recorded with French guitarist Serge LAZAREVITCH.
In 1991, he received the "Youth and Music Flanders" Prize.
He teaches at the Jazzstudio in Antwerp, the Lemmens Institute in Leuven, and gives workshops at the Rotterdam Conservatory, Swiss Jazz School in Bern, among others.
He was a member of the Bob BROOKMEYER Quartet (1 award-winning CD), Toon ROOS Quartet, Kurt VAN HERCK Quartet, Kris DEFOORT Trio, Erwin VANN Trio & Quartet, WORLDS, MOTHER, the BRUSSELS JAZZ ORCHESTRA, Michel HERR Trio, European Quintet, MÄÄK's SPIRIT, Frank VAGANÉE Trio, and more.

As one of Belgium’s most active drummers, he has performed with many soloists such as Toots THIELEMANS, Junior COOK, Teddy EDWARDS, Mal WALDRON, Norma WINSTONE, Red HOLLOWAY, Archie SHEPP, and John SCOFIELD.
Dré PALLEMAERTS also owned a recording studio, where he worked as an engineer.
In 1998, he contributed to the recording of Bert JORIS’s soundtrack for the film “Bal Masqué” (Julien VREEBOS), released on CD.
He recently started the bass 'n' drum trio MOTHER with saxophonist Erwin VANN and bassist Otti VAN DER WERF, now a quartet with vocalist Anne VAN DER PLASSCHE.