Willem Breuker, born on November 4, 1944, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, was a Dutch composer and saxophonist who is considered the godfather of Dutch improvised music. He started playing the recorder as an autodidact before learning the clarinet and saxophone. In 1965, Breuker founded Free Jazz Inc., gaining early recognition at the Loosdrechts Jazz Concours in 1966. In 1974, he established the Willem Breuker Kollektief. In 1977, he founded the label Instant Composers Pool with Han Bennink and Misha Mengelberg. Breuker collaborated with musicians such as Gunter Hampel, Jeanne Lee, Anthony Braxton, and Peter Brötzmann. He received awards, including the Wessel Ilcken Prijs in 1970 and the Boy Edgar Prize in 1993. Notable works include Get to Work and Get Out of Here (1987) for the Netherlands Student Orchestra and Unreadable III (1991) for the Ricciotti Ensemble. Breuker passed away on July 23, 2010.
