Misha Mengelberg (b. Kiev, 1935), the leader of the Instant Composers Pool Orchestra (ICP Orchestra), is a trickster in the world of composed and improvised music: a philosopher of musical matters, who pairs seriousness with absurdism – as a conservatory lecturer he championed the strict principles of counterpoint, whereas in his 'noise class' he would play down the importance of academic rigour. With ICP he introduced compositional procedures into improvised music, whilst weaving in improvisational dissent in his composing. As a jazz pianist he drew on his heroes Thelonious Monk (an unhurried gate, using dense chords) and Herbie Nichols (harmonies that subvert traditional patterns). In the late 1960's Mengelberg helped develop European improvised music, along with his lifelong collaborator, the drummer Han Bennink. From the 1990's onwards, Mengelberg and the ICP enjoyed growing international recognition for their live collaging and Mengelberg's elegant and witty writing. Mengelberg is a recipient of the Gaudeamus Prize (1961), the Wessel Ilcken Prize (1966), the Bird Award (1989) and the Matthijs Vermeulen Prize (2001).