Dutch saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and bandleader Willem Breuker was probably the best-known and most prolific figure in 20th century Dutch music. His accomplishments spanned from his '60s free jazz playing to his role decades later as leader of the successful Willem Breuker Kollektief. Breuker also instigated the reform of government funding for improvisers, co-founded two important independent Dutch labels, and unabashedly mixed genres and incorporated humor and theater into his compositions.
Breuker's early musical influences ran the gamut from Ives and Schoenberg to Count Basie and altoist Piet Noordijk. He studied voice and bass clarinet, and was gigging and composing by the early '60s. He also won a few jazz competitions and through those performances, was invited to join pianist Misha Mengelberg's quartet, which also included Noordijk. The group changed direction and went through lineup changes, resulting in a trio of Mengelberg, Breuker, and drummer Han Bennink. Out of these three arose the ICP (Instant Composers Pool) label and a variety of groups and projects, but a split occurred in the '70s, eventually resulting in the Willem Breuker Kollektief and Mengelberg's ICP Orchestra. When Breuker's focus was still on free music, he collaborated with musicians, including drummer Pierre Courbois, saxophonist Peter Brötzmann (including his 1968 landmark recording Machine Gun), and bandleader Gunter Hampel.
Breuker tired of free jazz and focused more on composing, including film scores, music theater, and more experimental works. He lobbied for what became the BIMHuis music venue and grants for improvisers, and co-founded the BVHaast label with his then-songwriting partner, pianist Leo Cuypers. The Kollektief began in the mid-'70s and their theatrical, humorous shows went over well with audiences all over the world for several decades, recording over 30 albums, mostly for BVHaast. Breuker was awarded the 1970 Dutch National Jazz Prize, among other honors, and continued to receive many commissions through the years. He died in Amsterdam on July 23, 2010 at the age of 65.