Gert-Jan Dreessen

“In an astonishingly short amount of time, this young drummer has established himself as an artist to be reckoned with."

Born in 1995 in Genk, Belgium, Gert-Jan Dreessen has quickly become one of the most exciting jazz drummers of his generation.

As a drummer, composer and educator, Dreessen moves between contemporary jazz, composed music and open improvisation. His playing is marked by a strong sense of direction, a broad textural sound palette and a natural feel for interaction. In his compositions, clear melodic ideas, rhythmic layering and open structures come together in music that leaves space for risk, detail and collective movement.

After studies in Leuven, Cologne and Antwerp, he spent 2019–2020 in New York with the support of BAEF, MERIT and the Flemish Government. That period became an important turning point in his artistic development, expanding his international network and sharpening his voice as a drummer-composer.

Dreessen has performed internationally with musicians including Bert Joris, Logan Richardson, John O’Gallagher, Shai Maestro and Nduduzo Makhathini, and is a regular member of ensembles such as Flat Earth Society Orchestra, Jeroen Reggers and the Tomer Cohen Quartet. In 2024, his performance with Flat Earth Society at Lincoln Center in New York was selected by The New York City Jazz Record as one of the best New York concerts of the year.