Artist Info

Pirly ZURSTRASSEN starts playing the piano as a self taught and enters the Verviers Conservatory in 1977.
At a later stage, he joins the improvisation class at the Liège Royal Conservatory (Karl BERGER, Garrett LIST) and the Liège jazz seminar in the same institution.

In 1984 he releases his first LP in quintet.

The following year, he composed the music for the cartoons series "Quick et Flupke".

In 1987 he formed the H SEPTET and receives, for the first recording, a "SAX" Prize, , a prize awarded by the Belgian jazz press.
Another award is won in 1993, the André GROSJEAN Prize, for his CD "Hautes Fagnes".

In 1990 he forms a duo with Daniel STOKART, a context in which they play their own compositions, bordering on jazz and contemporary music.

1994 sees the formation of another duo with Swiss singer Christine SCHALLER, joined the following year by American trombone player and composer Garrett LIST.

He recently founded "MUSIQUE À NEUF", a band which mixes elements from various ethnic musics with improvised solos (cd "TRACES")

Pirly ZURSTRASSEN worked and composed in different fields such as theatre and dance.


Teaching activity:

Teaches piano, harmonic dictation and sight reading-interpretation of jazz at the Brussels Royal Conservatory, since 1990.
Teached piano, jazz, compositions at the International Summer Academy of Libramont, since 1990.
Teaches jazz compositions at the Royal Conservatory (Flemish section) in Brussels, since 1995.