Michel HERR : biography

photo Monique Oz

Born in Brussels, pianist and composer Michel HERR has been active on the European jazz scene since the seventies.
He had the opportunity to play with many great American musicians such as Joe LOVANO, Joe HENDERSON, Chet BAKER, Archie SHEPP, Charlie MARIANO, Pepper ADAMS, Johnny GRIFFIN, Slide HAMPTON, Lee KONITZ, Bill FRISELL, Charlie ROUSE, Art FARMER, Steve GROSSMAN, Judy NIEMACK, Lew TABACKIN, John ABERCROMBIE, as well as many top European musicians, such as Palle MIKKELBORG, Daniel HUMAIR, J-F JENNY CLARKE, Aldo ROMANO, Palle DANIELSSON, Arild ANDERSEN, Norma WINSTONE, Richard GALLIANO, Riccardo DEL FRA, François JEANNEAU..., and of course the cream of the Belgian musicians : Philip CATHERINE, Steve HOUBEN, Bert JORIS, Phil ABRAHAM, Fabrice ALLEMAN, Richard ROUSSELET, ACT Big Band...
He played many festivals :
Antibes, Northsea, Stockholm, Paris, Rome, Ivrea, Montréal, Amsterdam, Vienna, Jazz Middelheim in Antwerp, Estoril (Portugal), Breckon, the Jazz Jamboree of Warsaw, Oslo, Audi Jazz (Belgium), Saint-Louis (Senegal) ...

Since 84 he regularly played piano and keyboards with harmonica player Toots THIELEMANS. He performed with him throughout the world (Europe, USA, Japan, Africa), played many major festivals and participated in many TV shows, records, film soundtracks, etc. He toured with him in the US and in Japan, a.o. with bassists Rufus REID, Ray DRUMMOND or Riccardo DEL FRA and drummers Adam NUSSBAUM or Billy HART.
Very active on the Belgian scene and in Europe with numerous bands and projects, he participated in many recordings.
He appears on the CD "O Brilho do Sol" (released spring 96) with Brazilian songwriter Marito CORREA and sax player Steve HOUBEN.
He plays a.o. with the Fabrice ALLEMAN Quartet, the group that won the Nicolas Dor Prize at the '97 Liège Festival. In the Belgian jazz referendum organized by Belgian radios RTBF and VRT, their album "Loop the Loop" was elected best Belgian CD of the year '98.
Also noteworthy, a CD of Belgian jazz themes "A tribute to Belgian jazz", recorded with his colleague, Dutch pianist Jack VAN POLL.
With Steve HOUBEN, he is the musical director of the concert "100 Years of Jazz in Wallonia", a major musical event in Liège, during which he a.o. conducts ACT Big Band.
Here are some recent cds on which he also appeared : Worlds with Erwin VANN, The Live Takes, Vol. 1" with Toots THIELEMANS and "Restless" with Jean-Pierre CATOUL (vl) and Peter HERTMANS (gt).

A sought after accompanist, Michel HERR has also always been the leader of his own groups, in which he presents his own compositions.

At the beginning of his career : SOLIS LACUS, an influential fusion band, and an acoustic trio.
With German saxophonist Wolfgang ENGSTFELD he co-led an international quartet that included US drummer Leroy LOWE and various bassists : Palle DANIELSSON, Isla ECKINGER, Riccardo DEL FRA, Hein VAN DE GEYN.
With Dutch bassist Hein VAN DE GEYN and American drummer Leroy LOWE he recorded the CD : Michel HERR "INTUITIONS" (Igloo CD IGL 073)
SAX PRIZE 1989 (Belgian Critics Award as best Belgian jazz album of the year )
Rated "five spots" in the French jazz magazine Jazz Hot.

Today Michel HERR leads several bands (from the trio to the big band)
His latest projects are :
The MICHEL HERR EUROPEAN QUINTET, with Bert JORIS, Wolfgang ENGSTFELD, Riccardo DEL FRA and Dré PALLEMAERTS.
The quintet's first CD, "NOTES OF LIFE" (Igloo Igl 142) received very enthusiatic reviews.
UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTERS, a nine-piece ensemble combining his European Quintet with a string quartet.

Michel HERR has also established a solid reputation as a composer and arranger.
Co-leader and musical director of ACT BIG BAND (CD "Extremes", with Joe LOVANO). He also has written for several soloists and European bands as well as for radio and TV.
In 88 his composition "Labyrinthe " won the 1st Prize of the famous "Concours International de Composition de Thèmes de Jazz" of Monaco.
He wrote the film soundtrack for the Belgian movie "JUST FRIENDS" (several awards), on which he can also be heard with Archie SHEPP ; and for various tv films, such as Didier GROUSSET's "Eclats de Famille" (French TV Canal +/FR 3), with Richard GALLIANO, "Les Monos/Le responsable" (FR2/RTL TVI) or "Le Coup du Lapin" (FR 2). More infos on his writing for media here.
He was one of the composers/arrangers of the "Steve HOUBEN + Strings" project.
His compositions have been recorded by Joe LOVANO, Tom HARRELL, Judy NIEMACK, Fred HERSCH, Kenny BARRON, Bill FRISELL, Archie SHEPP, etc...
On the occasion of the concert organized for Toots THIELEMANS' 70th birthday in Brussels, he was one of the three composers/arrangers who conducted the big band. The other two were... Quincy JONES and Peter HERBOLZHEIMER.
His composition "Unexpected Encounters", commissioned and recorded by the Belgian tv BRTN in 95, features the Michel HERR European Quintet + a string quartet (This band is now available for concerts).
His big band music has been played a.o. by :
WDR Big band
NDR Big band
HR Big Band (Germany)
BRT JAZZ ORCHESTRA (B)
the BRUSSELS JAZZ ORCHESTRA (B)
ACT BIG BAND (B)
the Big band of the Slovenian radio
etc...
In '96, he composed his "Celebration Suite". He conducts the premiere performance by the BRUSSELS JAZZ ORCHESTRA and conducts the band again when they record the piece in '99 (CD The September Sessions).

In '98, Michel HERR wrote for ACT Big Band "Les Intermittences du coeur", a piece dedicated to French writer Marcel PROUST. The piece was created at the "Jazz à Liège" Festival and broadcasted by Belgian radio RTBF. The same year ACT Big BAND was elected best Belgian big band of the year '98, both in the listeners poll (RTBF/VRT) and the critics poll (French speaking).
In the Belgian jazz referendum organized by Belgian radios RTBF and VRT, Michel HERR was elected best Belgian arranger of the year '98.
His arranging work can be heard on recent recordings of Jean-Pierre GEBLER etc...; he wrote the string quartet arrangements of the upcoming Daniel ROMEO album (feat. Mike STERN, Rosario GIULIANI, etc...)
For the re-opening of the renovated "Maison de la Radio Flagey" in Brussels, he received the commission to write a piece for the BRUSSELS JAZZ ORCHESTRA. His suite, titled "Flagey, a New Era", was created on Sept. 30, 2002, with Toots THIELEMANS as a soloist and with Michel conducting the band in person.
In February 2003, the WDR BIG BAND invites Michel to conduct and record almost two hours of his own compositions. A studio recording for the WDR radio is followed by a live radio recording of a very succesful concert given at the Stadtgarten, in Cologne (Germany).
In 2004, he writes and records an arrangement of "Between You and Me" for quintet and string quartet, for the album "Sides of Life" of saxophonist/composer Fabrice ALLEMAN.
He also arranged for quartet and strings two pieces by Ivan PADUART played and recorded by the pianist, Richard GALLIANO on accordion and the "Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles" for the album Douces Illusions (2004).
In the '98 Belgian (French speaking) critics poll, he entered the HALL OF FAME for his career achievements, and he was elected best Belgian composer and best Belgian arranger.

Recently, he played with his own projects : trio, European Quintet (sometimes with string quartet), but also with the Fabrice ALLEMAN Quartet & ONE SHOT BAND, the A TRAIN SEXTET, Gino LATTUCA Quartet & Quintet, Judy NIEMACK & Jeanfrançois PRINS, Félix SIMTAINE's TEN-TAMARRE, the Belgian All Stars with a.o. Steve HOUBEN, Erwin VANN's WORLDS with a.o. Norma WINSTONE & Eric VLOEIMANS, Fabien DEGRYSE Jazz or accompanying soloists such as Eric LE LANN (tp), Paolo FRESU (tp), Sylvain BEUF (sax) etc...
On the occasion of a RTBF live radio concert, he presented a TRIO with Fabrice ALLEMAN (soprano sax) and Peter HERTMANS (gt).

In 2000, Michel HERR was the guest of honor of the Belgian "Django d'Or" evening, during which he performed in trio, and with Bert JORIS, Phil ABRAHAM, the French harp player Isabelle OLIVIER and of course, with the awarded musician, saxophonist Steve HOUBEN.

In 2002, he played a.o. at the Ciney Jazz Night with his European Quintet in a tribute to Chet BAKER, and also accompanied a "European Trumpet Summit" with Paolo FRESU, Flavio BOLTRO, Stéphane BELMONDO, Eric VLOEIMANS, Gino LATTUCA.

Michel HERR is busier than ever, writing and playing for his own projects.
Michel HERR appears on more than 60 LPs or CDs, as a leader or with Joe LOVANO, Toots THIELEMANS, Bill FRISELL, Archie SHEPP, Philip CATHERINE, Tom HARRELL etc...

MICHEL HERR's DISCOGRAPHY

MICHEL HERR BANDS

MICHEL HERR's UPCOMING GIGS

MICHEL HERR AS A COMPOSER/ARRANGER FOR MEDIA

THE PRESS :
...the sensitive, harmonically inventive pianist Michel Herr, who played his own award-winning composition "Labyrinthe". (Leonard Feather, L.A. Times)
"...when the instrument sings to such an extent, it is pointless to regret the absence of a horn player...." (François Lacharme, Jazz Hot "Five Spots")
"A Musician before all, Michel Herr expresses himself as much through his writing than through his piano playing. Michel mainly develops his own langage, creating lyrical music of great harmonic richness, with a remarkable dramatic sense." (Pierre de Chocqueuse, Jazz Hot "Five Spots")
"Michel Herr unfolds a universe that is his own. A universe rich in poetry, in which sensitivity, creativity and swing blend very well. A perfect example of European jazz in full maturity." (Le Soir, Belgium)
"Belgian pianist Michel Herr signs here an excellent album. His phrasing has great clarity; it is well articulated while remaining very fluid. Herr also reaffirms himself as a talented composer." (Paul Benkimoun, Jazz Magazine)
"Refined and poetic playing. Michel Herr is the creator of various moods : oniric, exciting, nostalgic, with moments of fantasy. Michel Herr's playing is based upon an elegant lyricism, which expresses himself in delicately sculpted phrases that never become sweet. The trio, very convincing, shows a real interaction between the three instruments." (André Joly, La Voix du Nord)
"A trio that sounds just like one man, a ludic microcosm that injects strong emotions into everything it touches. No excuses to ignore any longer this master in complicity." (Xavier Prévost, Claviers)
"Sumptuous !...With this trio, his trio, Michel Herr unfolds his universe and his compositions. Both are worth the detour. An elegant touch, beauty of the melodies and a perfect understanding between the three musicians. Intuitions is a "grand cru." (Philippe Adler, Backstage)

Some of the musicians Michel HERR has played with :
Trumpet : Chet BAKER, Tom HARRELL, Art FARMER, Benny BAILEY, Howard McGHEE, Lew SOLOFF, Marvin "Hannibal" PETERSON, Charles TOLLIVER, Dizzy GILLESPIE, Jon EARDLEY, Dusko GOJKOVICK, Claudio RODITI, Palle MIKKELBORG, Eric LE LANN, Uli BECKERHOFF, Manfred SCHOOF, Ack VAN ROOYEN, Gustavo BERGALLI, Eric VLOEIMANS, Paolo FRESU, Stéphane BELMONDO, Flavio BOLTRO, Bert JORIS, Richard ROUSSELET, Gino LATTUCA...
Sax : Joe HENDERSON, Archie SHEPP, Joe LOVANO, Charlie MARIANO, Pepper ADAMS, Johnny GRIFFIN, Sal NISTICO, Lee KONITZ, Lew TABACKIN, Charlie ROUSE, Steve GROSSMAN, Charles McPHERSON, J-R MONTEROSE, Nathan DAVIS, Pete YELLIN, Hal SINGER, Robin KENYATTA, Bobby JONES, Lou McCONNELL, John RUOCCO, Wolfgang ENGSTFELD, Tony COE, François JEANNEAU, Stan SULZMAN, Gijs HENDRIKS, Sylvain BEUF, Ferdinand POVEL, Bernt ROSENGREN, Olivier PETERS, Paul HELLER, Jacques PELZER, Etienne VERSCHUEREN, Steve HOUBEN, Erwin VANN, Fabrice ALLEMAN, Kurt VAN HERCK, Ben SLUIJS, Peter & Johan VANDENDRIESSCHE, Pierre VAIANA...
Bass : Wilbur LITTLE, Rufus REID, Ray DRUMMOND, John LEE, Curtis LUNDY, Tony DUMAS, Scott COLLEY, Mike FORMANEK, Kermit DRISCOLL, Santi DI BRIANO, Bert THOMPSON, Jeff BERLIN, J-F JENNY CLARKE, Palle DANIELSSON, Hein VAN DE GEYN, Riccardo DEL FRA, Arild ANDERSEN, Jesper LUNDGARD, Isla ECKINGER, Michel BENITA, Bo STIEF, Chris LAURENCE, Hans HARTMANN, Detlev BEIER, Gunther LENZ, Frans VAN DER HOEVEN, Rob LANGEREIS, Henk HAVERHOEK, Jos MACHTEL, Theo DE JONG, Jean WARLAND, Michel HATZIGEORGIOU, Jean-Louis RASSINFOSSE, Philippe AERTS, Freddie DERONDE, Nicolas THYS, Bas COOYMANS, Benoît VANDERSTRAETEN, Sal LA ROCCA...
Drums : Billy HART, Adam NUSSBAUM, Kenny WASHINGTON, Art TAYLOR, Billy BROOKS, Oliver JOHNSON, Beaver HARRIS, Gerry BROWN, Bobby DURHAM, Ralph PENLAND, Martin DREW, Leroy LOWE, Vinnie JOHNSON, John BETCH, Al LEVITT, Dennis MACKRELL, Daniel HUMAIR, Aldo ROMANO, Janusz STEFANSKI, Klaus WEISS, Makaya N'TSHOKO, Roberto GATTO, Alex RIEL, John MARSHALL, Simon GOUBERT, Joël ALLOUCHE, Peter GRITZ, Charles BELLONZI, Jukkis UOTILA, John ENGELS, Hans VAN OOSTERHOUT, Dré PALLEMAERTS, Bruno CASTELLUCCI, Félix SIMTAINE, Jan DE HAAS, Mimi VERDERAME, Frédéric JACQUEMIN, André CHARLIER, Stéphane GALLAND, Lieven VENKEN...
Guitar : Joe PASS, John ABERCROMBIE, Bill FRISELL, Toots THIELEMANS, Joe DIORIO, John THOMAS, Jimmy GOURLEY, Phil UPCHURCH, Eef ALBERTS, Peter TIEHUIS, Stefan DIEZ, René THOMAS, Philip CATHERINE, Wim OVERGAUW, Toto BLANKE, Serge LAZAREVITCH, Peter HERTMANS, Paolo LOVERI, Jeanfrançois PRINS, Jacques PIROTTON, Pierre VAN DORMAEL, Paolo RADONI...
Trombone : Slide HAMPTON, Kai WINDING, Jiggs WIGGHAM, Eje THELIN, Garrett LIST, Bart VAN LIER, Ed KRÖGER, Erich KLEINSCHUSTER, Phil ABRAHAM, Marc GODFROID...
Vocals : Joe Lee WILSON, Judy NIEMACK, Norma WINSTONE, Deborah BROWN, Denise JANNAH, Dee DANIELS, Rachel GOULD, Stella LEVITT, Jeffery SMITH, Sachal VASANDANI, Silvia DROSTE, Sara LAZARUS, Anne DUCROS, David LINX, MAURANE, Claude LOMBARD, Monica LINGES, Marito CORREA, Yvonne WALTER, the SWINGLE SINGERS, Sacha DISTEL, Nicole CROISILLE...
and (miscellaneous) ... : Tony SCOTT, Richard GALLIANO, Marcel AZZOLA, Zbigniew SEIFERT, Didier LOCKWOOD, Jean-Pierre CATOUL, Toots THIELEMANS, Peter GUIDI, Ali RYERSON, Chris HINZE, Rogier VAN OTTERLO, Quincy JONES, Jack VAN POLL, ASSOCIATION P.C., Dave PIKE, Guy CABAY, SADI, Bosko PETROVIC, Tom VAN DER GELD, Marc MOULIN & PLACEBO, Frédéric DEVREESE, Georges OCTORS, Georges-Elie OCTORS, Jacques BEKAERT & TRANSITION, Vladimir COSMA, Neppie NOYA, Chris JORIS etc...

CONTACT :
rue des Prés 18, B-1435 Corbais, Belgium
fax : ++32 10 65 94 61

Michel HERR has also established a solid reputation as a composer and arranger.
Co-leader and musical director of ACT BIG BAND (CD "Extremes", with Joe LOVANO). He also has written for several soloists and European bands as well as for radio and TV. In 88 his composition "Labyrinthe " won the *1st Prize of the famous "Concours International de Composition de Thèmes de Jazz" of Monaco.* He wrote the film soundtrack for the Belgian movie "JUST FRIENDS" (several awards), on which he can also be heard with Archie SHEPP ; and for various tv films, such as Didier GROUSSET's "Eclats de Famille" (French TV Canal +/FR 3), with Richard GALLIANO, "Les Monos/Le responsable" (FR2/RTL TVI) or "Le Coup du Lapin" (FR 2). More infos on his writing for media here. He was one of the composers/arrangers of the "Steve HOUBEN + Strings" project. His compositions have been recorded by Joe LOVANO, Tom HARRELL, Judy NIEMACK, Fred HERSCH, Kenny BARRON, Bill FRISELL, Archie SHEPP, etc... On the occasion of the concert organized for Toots THIELEMANS' 70th birthday in Brussels, he was one of the three composers/arrangers who conducted the big band. The other two were... Quincy JONES and Peter HERBOLZHEIMER.	His composition "Unexpected Encounters", commissioned and recorded by the Belgian tv BRTN in 95, features the Michel HERR European Quintet + a string quartet (This band is now available for concerts). His big band music has been played a.o. by : WDR Big band NDR Big band HR Big Band (Germany) BRT JAZZ ORCHESTRA (B) the BRUSSELS JAZZ ORCHESTRA (B) ACT BIG BAND (B) the Big band of the Slovenian radio etc... In '96, he composed his "Celebration Suite". He conducts the premiere performance by the BRUSSELS JAZZ ORCHESTRA and conducts the band again when they record the piece in '99 (CD The September Sessions).	In '98, Michel HERR wrote for ACT Big Band "Les Intermittences du coeur", a piece dedicated to French writer Marcel PROUST. The piece was created at the "Jazz à Liège" Festival and broadcasted by Belgian radio RTBF. The same year ACT Big BAND was elected best Belgian big band of the year '98, both in the listeners poll (RTBF/VRT) and the critics poll (French speaking). In the Belgian jazz referendum organized by Belgian radios RTBF and VRT, Michel HERR was elected best Belgian arranger of the year '98. His arranging work can be heard on recent recordings of Jean-Pierre GEBLER etc...; he wrote the string quartet arrangements of the upcoming Daniel ROMEO album (feat. Mike STERN, Rosario GIULIANI, etc...) For the re-opening of the renovated "Maison de la Radio Flagey" in Brussels, he received the commission to write a piece for the BRUSSELS JAZZ ORCHESTRA. His suite, titled "Flagey, a New Era", was created on Sept. 30, 2002, with Toots THIELEMANS as a soloist and with Michel conducting the band in person. In February 2003, the WDR BIG BAND invites Michel to conduct and record almost two hours of his own compositions. A studio recording for the WDR radio is followed by a live radio recording of a very succesful concert given at the Stadtgarten, in Cologne (Germany). In 2004, he writes and records an arrangement of "Between You and Me" for quintet and string quartet, for the album "Sides of Life" of saxophonist/composer Fabrice ALLEMAN. He also arranged for quartet and strings two pieces by Ivan PADUART played and recorded by the pianist, Richard GALLIANO on accordion and the "Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles" for the album Douces Illusions (2004).
In the '98 Belgian (French speaking) critics poll, he entered the HALL OF FAME for his career achievements, and he was elected best Belgian composer and best Belgian arranger.