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Philip Catherine

Philip Catherine has been on the forefront of the European jazz scene since the sixties and worked with great artists like Chet Baker, Stéphane Grappelli, Charlie Mingus and Dexter Gordon. His unique approach and sound, his dedication to music have been important and influential, and today he is a source of inspiration for many artists of the new generation.

Born in London in 1942 and being from a musical family, he developed a musical ear from an early age. When he was 18 he already toured Europe with Lou Bennett. With his recordings "September Man" and "Guitars" in the mid-seventies, jazz amateurs all over the world discovered not only a brilliant guitarist but also a talented composer: themes like "Homecomings" and "Nairam" have become famous.

Philip Catherine has played in the most prestigious concert halls, from the Berlin Philharmonic to the Carnegie Hall, from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to the Olympia and Salle Pleyel in Paris and the Palais des Beaux-Arts of Brussels.

About the solo album “Guitars Two” (2008, Dreyfus Jazz) the magazine Guitarist Acoustic wrote : “simply one of the most beautiful cd’s of this year”. The CD “Concert in CapBreton” (2010, Dreyfus Jazz) is a magic live recording with an all star line up featuring Enrico Pieranunzi, Hein Van de Geyn and Joe LaBarbera. “Philip Catherine plays Cole Porter” - in Quartet with Karel Boehlee (p), Philippe Aerts (b) and Martijn Vink (dr) - was released in 2011 on Challenge Records and received among others the CHOC in JazzMag.

Philip Catherine celebrated his 70th birthday in October 2012 with a memorable anniversary concert at the Brussels Palais des Beaux-Arts and a new CD. "Coté Jardin" (11/2012, Challenge Records) was recorded with his new quartet : great italian pianist Nicola Andrioli, young drum phenomenon Antoine Pierre and longstanding companion Philippe Aerts on bass, and enchants both jazz fans and classical music lovers.

In january 2014 the album ‘New Folks’ was released on ACT Music, a duo recording with German bassplayer Martin Wind, followed by several tours throughout Europe and the US.

The première of Philip Catherine's 'String project', a selection of his compositions in arrangements with string orchestra, took place on 13.01.2015 at Flagey/Brussels. Philip's quintet, together with the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie conducted by Frank Braley, gave a sublime concert for a full house. The performance was filmed by national TV VRT-Canvas, and a selection was released on CD in September 2015 on ACT Music : "The String Project – Live in Brussels". R.Garszczyński wrote in JazzPress : "This is one of the best jazz recordings with strings of all times."

Larry Coryell & Philip Catherine: The Last Call

Read "The Last Call" reviewed by Phillip Woolever

by Phillip Woolever
August 1, 2021

ACT Music released this exceptional concert recording four years to the day after the February 19, 2017 death of 73-year old master guitarist Larry Coryell. The album documents a sensational set Coryell played with the equally skillful Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine at the Berlin Philharmonic. The event was an unplanned but fitting conclusion to their series of collaborations that began at the same location some forty-five years before. The sound dynamics and song selections create a vivid testimonial of musical ...

Album Review

Martin Wind, Philip Catherine, Ack Van Rooyen: White Noise

Read "White Noise" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
April 21, 2021

«Il silenzio è diventato sempre più un lusso—dice Martin Wind—con White Noise ho voluto creare un polo acustico opposto. Una sorta di oasi sonora in cui il pubblico può rilassarsi e godere la musica fino alla sua massima espressione». Per ottenere questo il contrabbassista tedesco—a New York da 25 anni—ha voluto accanto a sé due magistrali jazzmen europei dalla proverbiale impronta melodica: il chitarrista Philip Catherine e il trombettista Ack Van Rooyen. Due artisti d'età avanzata—il primo ...

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Album Review

Philip Catherine: Guitars Two

Read "Guitars Two" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
October 5, 2008

Sometimes it's not a good thing to get branded too early in your career. Called "the young Django" by Charles Mingus and operating in the same fusion sphere as John McLaughlin and Larry Coryell, Belgian Philip Catherine was pegged in the '70s as a firebrand guitarist, albeit an unabashedly lyrical one. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but Catherine's career, now nearing its sixth decade, has always been about a lot more than powerhouse fusion chops, something ...

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Album Review

Philip Catherine/Brussels Jazz Orchestra: Meeting Colours

Read "Meeting Colours" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
July 6, 2005

I've sometimes wondered why guitarists don't record more often with big bands. Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass, among others, proved that such a marriage can work quite well, as does Belgian maestro Philip Catherine--who reminds me of Pass--on this impressive new album with the world-class Brussels Jazz Orchestra.

Catherine wrote all but one tune, Ellington's “In a Sentimental Mood, and the marvelous trumpeter Bert Joris arranged everything, sculpting graceful settings for Catherine's mellow guitar that provide ample counterpoint and color ...

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Album Review

Philip Catherine: Summer Night

Read "Summer Night" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
October 10, 2002

Blistering...

Philip Catherine has a guitar tone like that of the shine of hot mercury pouring from a stainless steel cylinder. His latest recording, Summer Night is replete with such a tone on both fusionesque pieces and more mainstream standard fare. Catherine deftly employs electric effects, always tastefully, to make his playing more fluid. “Tiger Groove" so totally rocks with Bert Jorvis’ brass that it grabs the listeners’ attention and sucks him or her into this wonderful melee of rhythm ...

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Album Review

Philip Catherine: Blue Prince

Read "Blue Prince" reviewed by AAJ Staff

by AAJ Staff
March 1, 2001

Following up on his more aggressive Guitar Groove release, Philip Catherine presents a more varied, but no less lively, approach on his newest Dreyfus CD, Blue Prince. Working with a like-minded musician, trumpeter Bert Joris--who in some respects is his foil--Catherine and he share an instinctive ability to cut to the heart of a tune and personalize it. Working in tandem or solo as the relatively short tracks proceed from statement to elaboration, Catherine's quartet effectively makes its musical point ...

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Album Review

Philip Catherine: Blue Prince

Read "Blue Prince" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
March 1, 2001

Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine has performed with the creme de la creme of modern jazz and fusion. Noticeably inspired by the late great Django Rheinhardt, Catherine has emerged as a true stylist who melds lush romanticism with bold, simmering lines, witnessed here on Blue Prince.

The guitarist utilizes his warm-toned hollow bodied electric guitar to great effect via shrewd employment of volume control techniques, jazzy chord progressions and scathing leads, evidenced on the often blistering yet predominately cool and sleek ...

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Recording

Dreyfus Jazz (USA) Presents the European Modernists: Jean-Michel Pilc, Aldo Romano, Rosario Giuliani and Philip Catherine

Source: Michael Ricci
June 19, 2010

Jazz, once a singularly American invention and one of the United States' greatest exports, has become a truly international phenomenon, with important players from all over the world making valuable contributions to the music's evolution. Europe, previously home to many of the most devoted connoisseurs of the art form, is now also the producer of some of the most innovative voices in jazz. With the inauguration of its European Modernists series Dreyfus Jazz is proud to bring U.S. audiences some ...
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Recording

Forthcoming Releases from Philip Catherine and Sylvain Luc's Trio Sud on Dreyfus Jazz

Source: All About Jazz
April 10, 2008

New York, NY - Dreyfus Records is proud to present new recordings by two of Europe's finest modern jazz guitarists, Philip Catherine (Guitars Two) and Sylvain Luc's Trio Sud (Young and Fine). Though they hail from two different generations, Catherine and Luc share a highly developed versatility, as well as roots in the Gypsy jazz tradition of Django Reinhardt. They both aspire to a boundlessly searching, forward-thinking spirit in music, representing the highest ideals of jazz artistry. In their own ...
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Catherine had chosen a very special line-up for his birthday concert, with not only Gerry Brown but also Antoine Pierre (TaxiWars) behind the drums, and with two pianists, Bert Vanden Brink and Nicola Andrioli, who were back to back, complementing each other perfectly and a delightful played duet. The American drummer Gerry Brown had traveled to Brussels especially for the 75th birthday of the guitarist, and that was the reason to take old songs from under the dust. Like 'Nineteen seventy fourths', a piece from September Man from 1974,(...) . With the addition of the trumpet of Bert Joris and the electric bass of Nicolas Fiszman we got to hear an energetic jazz rock à la Miles Davis. Catherine picked some highlights from his first records, which will be released on CD for the first time in a box. The indestructible 'Homecomings' and 'We'll find a way', for example, two songs from the Guitars success album. Catherine played with a youthful flair that made forget his age. ( De Standaard, Peter De Backer - 6.11.2017 )

"Though I have been listening to his music for 40 years, I had never seen him perform. It was all I hoped for and more. Philip truly embodies the entire history of the music, sometimes all in the same song. His playing as soloist and accompanist ranged from Django styled swing, to blues, to bop, to fusion and back again. Although his tone is generally that of a more "traditional" jazz guitarist, at a moment's notice, his foot would hit a pedal and the sonic landscape would drastically and beautifully change. His single note and chordal playing, though encyclopedic is also distinctly his own." ( John Newcott, - WBGO Newark-USA , March 12, 2016 - review concert Ph.Catherine/Martin Wind/Matthew Wilson )

about 'The String Project" (ACT Music, Sept 2015) : "The String Project: Live In Brussels" is an album that stunned me in every way, the sound, warm and sincere atmosphere, excellent arrangements and excellent sense of balance between such disparate musical worlds. This is one of the best jazz recordings with strings of all times. In 20 years the album will become the Canon of Jazz." (JazzPress, Rafał Garszczyński – Poland, Nov. 2015)

« The Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine is one of the few European jazz musicians with international renown, a great stylist, who’se joy of music making and sensitivity of sound - over his 40 years’ career - has not faded but actually grown. Music of powerful cineastic romanticism.» ( CRESCENDO, Götz Bühler, Sept/Oct.2015 )

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