Jos Machtel (Hoorn, the Netherlands, 1962), Dutch bassist, started playing the trumpet at age 10. After two years at the Hilversum Conservatory, studying under greats such as Ack van Rooyen and Ferdinand Povel, he switched to double bass; professor Victor Kaihatu taught him his special thumb technique, and Machtel’s passion was ignited. Dutch greats such as Frans Else, Hein van der Gaag and John Engels soon asked him to join their ranks.
Since then, he has worked alongside Perico Sambeat, Madeleine Peyroux, Benjamin Herman, Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Metropole Orchestra, Dave Liebman, and Bob Brookmeyer. He became a regular member of Brussels Jazz Orchestra in 1999, welcoming Maria Schneider, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Wheeler, and many others, and recording nearly ten CDs with the Orchestra. He left the band in late 2018. His connection to the Belgian jazz scene, however, stays apparent through his work on Vol.3 with old colleague Bert Joris, and his work as a jazz bass professor at the Luca School of Arts in Louvain, Belgium.
