Laurent BLONDIAU : biography

Laurent BLONDIAU

Trumpet, flugelhorn / Composer

Of Belgian origin, Laurent BLONDIAU was born on December 24, 1968.
Musical studies at the Brussels Royal Conservatory, jazz section, with Bert JORIS and Richard ROUSSELET, where he obtained First prize in 1990.

Laurent BLONDIAU leads his own Quintet with Peter HERTMANS, Nicolas THYS, Bilou DONEUX, Otti VAN DER WERF, Nathalie LORIERS, for which he also writes original music.

A first CD was released in February 1998 : The Queen of the Apple pie (Werf 011).

His 6^tetMÄÄK's SPIRIT, with Jeroen VAN HERZEELE (tenor sax), Nic THYS (bass), Anne VAN DER PLASSCHE & Gualia BENALI (vocals) and Dré PALLEMAERTS (drums)

(CD MÄÄK's SPIRIT "Live", JAS records).

LE NOM DU VENT (allusion to a meeting with Gnawas from Morocco)

In 2004, album MÄÄK's SPIRIT & GWANA EXPRESS DE TANGERS : : "Al Majmaa" (Igloo igl 172)

Member of

OCTURN, numerous appearances in Belgium and abroad.
Recorded with OCTURN the CDs "Chromatic History", and "Ocean", and also did radio (BRTN) recordings.
Played with Kris DEFOORT's DREAMTIME and recorded with them the CD "Passages" (WERF 014-015)
Member of the BRUSSELS JAZZ ORCHESTRA. With that band, he recorded the CDs "Live" and "The September Sessions".
With the Ernst VRANCKX 5^tet :Ernst VRANCKX Quintet : "Songs and dances" (W.E.R.F. 023)
Recorded a CD with "VARIATIONS ON A LOVE SUPREME", the band of Kris DEFOORT and Fabrizio CASSOL.

Laurent played in numerous concerts, festivals (Jazz Middelheim, Lundis d'Hortense, Junas in France, Africa, New York, Montreal...) and for radio broadcasts (BRTN, Tros Sesjun etc)

1994/5 : toured with French singer William SHELLER in Belgium, France and Switzerland. A CD, recorded live at the Olympia in Paris.

He played with GVA quintet winning the Young talents competition of the Brussels jazz rally.
Won the NICOLAS DOR prize at the Liège Jazz festival, 1992.
A.o. he played with Garrett LIST, Michel HERR, Richard ROUSSELET, Erwin VANN, Frank VAGANEÉE, AKA MOON, Steve HOUBEN.
He also played a.o. with Michel HATZIGEORGIOU's "PASTORIUS project", and with Michel DEBRULLE and Michel MASSOT's band Rêve d'Éléphant, Diederik WISSELS's project SILENT SONG SEXTET (The Music of Federico Mompou). Also played with OCTURN, Eric VAN DER WESTEN, Toots THIELEMANS, Kenny WERNER, Lee KONITZ, Marc TURNER etc...

Other recent cds : "Trinity Song" with the band JAMBANGLE (BRM 2012) and "Tombouctou" (Werf 032) with the Nathalie LORIERS Trio + Extensions.

Currently teaches trumpet at the Ghent Conservatory.

Laurent BLONDIAU is a sought after studio musician (horn, groups, Funk, Salsa).

Read an interview of Laurent BLONDIAU in the Journal of the Lundis d'Hortense (in French).

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