William De Kuiper

1953 - 2022

William G. De Kuiper
Dec. 12, 1953 - January 23, 2022
William Guy De Kuiper started a new journey on January 23, 2022. He spent his last months sharing stories and laughter with his family and friends and exploring the beautiful outdoors near his home in Fairfax, California.

Bill is survived by his beloved wife, Sandra E. Gamble of Fairfax, California, his sister, Kristin A. De Kuiper of Cranston, Rhode Island, his nephews Thomas A. Coon, currently of Debra Birhan, Ethiopia, and William G. Coon, of Laurel, Maryland, his niece, Anna R. Coon of Charlotte, North Carolina, and loving cousins.

Bill was a musician. He was a dynamic presence in the Bay Area jazz scene as a band leader and sideman for over four decades. He formed close friendships with the musicians he performed with. Bill's spirit lives in the lives he touched.

Bill was born in Midland, Michigan on December 12, 1953. His life journey took him to college at the University of New Mexico, a technical education at Albuquerque's Technical Vocational Institute, and to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After living in greater Boston, he moved to the San Francisco area, where he established his musical career and met the love of his life, Sandy.

Bill became seriously interested in jazz after hearing recordings of Erroll Garner and Django Reinhardt. He performed with a variety of bands in the 1970s, and, starting in 1980, led his own Bay Area swing group, Hot House. The little gypsy jazz quartet grew into a seven-piece full-on swing band with vocals and horns, while keeping the unique Hot House gypsy flavor. Hot House performed for forty years.

Bill performed with numerous mainstream and traditional combos, including the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, the Ray Simpson Big Band, the Hot Club of San Francisco, Bob Mielke's New Bearcats, the Apollo Jazz Group, Dan Hicks and his Acoustic Warriors, the Monogram Boys, and Mal Sharpe's Big Money in Jazz Band. He was founder and music director of the Marin Classic Jazz Festival for eleven years. In more recent years, he was a fixture on Wednesday nights at Fior d'Italia in North Beach, managing and performing in the Wednesday night lineup of North Beach Rhythm.

Bill's four to the bar rhythm was in the Freddie Green tradition and his single line solos reflected many influences from swing to bop.

Bill loved to explore remote areas of the American West and, in earlier days, South Asia. He was often accompanied on his adventures by his sidekick and lifelong best friend, Tom Bagli. He was an avid collector of artifacts of all kinds, from historic objects to New Guinean masks. He had many stories and a wicked wit.

Bill loved learning about the way things work. He was an inveterate tinkerer and designer and often used his skills to solve the problems of the day or of the century.

Bill was a loyal friend and a generous and compassionate spirit. He quietly made a difference in the lives of many.

A memorial gathering will be held at a later date.. Dontations in Bill's memory may be made to protect the Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Checks should be made payable to DOI-NPS with Canyon de Chelly National Monument Donation in the memo line, and mailed to the park at: Superintendent, P.O. Bos 588, Chinle, Arizona 86503.