MUSIC & TRAVELS 

Toon has developed his own sound by playing different styles of music, from the big band swing tradition to hardbop, from bossa nova to pop, funk and fusion. He is also an award-winning composer and producer of his own albums. For more than four decades Toon has been active as band leader, sideman and guest soloist, playing and recording with many groups and artists from the Netherlands and abroad. He has performed in most European countries, as well as the United States, South Africa, Mexico, the Caribbean and China. In 2005 Toon played with keyboard legend Joe Zawinul at the North Sea Jazz Bird Session and at his club Birdland in Vienna. Guitarist Walter Becker invited Toon to open the shows of Steely Dan on their 2009 European tour. The Toon Roos Quartet played nine venues among which the Hammersmith Apollo in London and the Olympia in Paris.

ALBUMS

Over the years Toon recorded several albums as a band leader with his quartet and fusion group. His album Angel Dance is arguably one of his finest, praised by the national and international media as a “work of perfection and sheer beauty.” Jazzism wrote: “an impressive and artistic masterpiece”. Angel Dance features the legendary drummer Peter Erskine. The all original compositions are a refined mix of lyrical funky jazz.

AWARDS

Toon Roos won the Dutch Wessel Ilcken Prize 1984, the North Sea Jazz – Bird Award 2001 and was Second Prize winner in the American International Songwriting Composition 2004 with his song Reach For The Rose.

TEACHING

Toon currently teaches at the Jazz departments of the Royal Conservatory The Hague and the Utrecht Conservatory in the Netherlands. From 1992-2001 Toon was teaching at the conservatory of Maastricht.