«Fabrice Alleman and that voice of the soul that touches you straight to the heart»
Fabrice Alleman was born in Mons in 1967. He was very young when he started taking clarinet lessons at the Music school and was 13 when he recorded his first 45 LP « El Berdelleu ".
He slowly shifted to jazz with a first guide : the trombone player Jean-Pol Danhier.
He was 18 when he entered the Royal Conservatoire of Mons and 2 years later obtained his 1st prize in clarinet, and 1st prize in chamber music.
During his 2 years of military service which he spent as musician, he played in the Big Bands of the largest Wallonian cities, chamber orchestras, blues bands, and attended his first jams with Robert Jeanne, Jean-Pol Dahnier and Pirly Zurstrassen.
He gradually replaced the clarinet by the saxophone and thanks to Richard Rousselet he participated to the « Lundis d’Hortense » training week in 1990 attended also by the American saxophone player Tim Ries.
He entered the Conservatoire Royal of Brussels in the Jazz section and obtained in 1992 his first prize in Saxophone. Meeting Steve Houben was determining for him and encouraged his thirst for musical experiments and questioning as did the encountering that followed with the Manhattan School in New York in July 1992 where he met Phil Woods, Toshiko Akyoshi, Steve Slagle and Ralph Lalama.
In the early 90’s, Fabrice Alleman launched his career with notably the guitar player Paolo Loveri and their duet « Alleman- Loveri Duo » recording their first album « Duo » in 1996. Two years later, Fabrice recorded another album « Loop the Loop » this time with his « Fabrice Alleman Quartet », a band featuring Michel Herr on piano, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse on double bass and Frédéric Jacquemin on drums. This album was recorded in studio and live at the Liège International Jazz Festival and was awarded the « Nicolas d’OR » prize and elected « best jazz album of the year 1998».
That same year, Fabrice was rewarded as « best tenor and alto saxophone player » through a referendum held by the Belgian radios and the SABAM awarded him the prize of « Promotion artistique belge ».
Fabrice has met many wonderful musicians and was eager to experiment all sorts of music and styles. He notably participated to the Calvin Owens Orchestra from 1992 to 1998, modern jazz with Stéphane Galland, Fabian Fiorini, Michel Hatzigiorgiou, and played as well with the « William Sheller » band with which he toured in France and Switzerland. During that same period, 1993-1998, he took part to the « Sax No End » band which toured in many festivals and concerts in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium., and thanks to which he met the double bass player Jean Warland with whom he kept on playing the years to follow: from 1999 till 2004 with « The « A » train » sextet and with the « Jean Warland – Fabrice Alleman duo » that toured in Germany and Belgium until recently.
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In 1997, he made another incredibly rich experience when he participated to the « Terence Blanchard Quintet » and the OPL of Luxembourg.
The « Alleman- Loveri Duo » toured in several coutries such as in Nicaragua, Sweden, Italy from 1997 till 2001 when they issued their second album « On the funny side of the strings » featuring a string quartet. In 1999, Fabrice benefited from a « carte blanche » at the Festival Cap Sud in Mons which gave him the oportunity to create the first version of the « One Shot Band » with the violin player Jean-Pierre Catoul. The « One Shot Band » had such freshness and new approach that a series of successful concerts followed from 1999 till 2001.
« What is the « One shot band » ? First of all, a human story. The interactions of very different but also quite complementary personalities. Original scores Arrangements influenced by celtic, funk and mostly jazz « jazz » music. » A spirit. A consented and agreed freedom. A sound. Modernity in tradition. Engines at the service of music… A music shared, with humility,… » »
In 1999, he participated to the resounding « Jaco Pastorius Project » by Michel Hatzigiorgeou at the Middelheim Festival in Antwerp and at the Gaume Jazz Festival with Toots Thielemans, Otello Molina…
Following the quartet’s first album several Belgian festival invited the band : they played at the Brussels jazz marathon, Jazz in't' park, Liège International Jazz Festival, Ciney jazz night, Tournée des Lundis d'Hortense, Nam'in jazz , Gaume jazz festival, before the Michel Petrucciani concert at the udi jazz festival, Festival de Wallonie ’03, the « 2004 jazz tour » of the Lundis d’Hortense , the « Jazzlabs series » tour in 2005 in Flanders, then in Luxembourg and in Paris. It toured as well in Senegal at the St Louis Festival.
In 2004 for its second album « Sides of Life » the Fabrice Alleman Quartet was joined by the trumpet player Bert Joris and the guitar player Peter Hertmans as well as by a string quartet.
This album was ranked « Top CD » in the « Jazzmosaiek « magazine.
In 2006, the Fabrice Alleman Quartet represented with Philippe Catherine band the Belgian delegation at the « Warsaw Jazz Summers days » Festival in Poland and that same year the trumpet player Randy Brecker joined the Quartet at the Liege International Jazz Festival for a filmed concert by the 1st Belgian radio and TV, the RTBF. (radio and TV broadcast in 2007).
Fabrice played in 2004 with the San Severino Jazz Project at the Maroquinerie in Paris which was a collaboration the two renewed 2 years later for the San Severino Big Band into which Fabrice arranged and directed the little big band fro the live concerts and the album « Exactement » issued in 2006. The 2006-2007 tour followed with more than 90 concerts in France, Switzerland and Belgium.
Among the various channels Fabrice has explored in music, he has recorded numerous film musics composed for most of them by Michel Herr or recorded with the WDR Big Band in Köln, as was the case at the Festival in Leverkusen with Nina Freelon, Hiram Bullock and Kenwood Dennard.
In 2006 he joined the Nathalie Loriers Quintet, replacing Gianluigi Trovesi. He also collaborated with Geneviève Damas on theater pieces on which he improvised in live. He paid tribute to Budy De Franco through several concerts.
In 2007 his collaboration with Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven started in duet then in quartet with Jean-Louis Rassinfosse and Xavier Desandre-Navarre which was to produce the album « Brainin Storm » in Fuga Libera which was praised by the critics. That year, Safy Boutella invited him ias special guest in Algiers for a concert attended by 16 000 people.
In 2008 his collaboration with Reggie Washington started, first in duo (concerts in Italy, Belgium and France), then in trio and in quartet.
His duet with Jean Warland toured in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany and issued an album in 2009 « The Duet » (Igloo Records.)
In 2009, his new project, in quartet saw the light with as guideline triviality, through its compositions that come out in one go, without corrections,. This project « Obviously » acquired its final shape in 2011 with a first tour in Belgium preparing the recording of their album. The tour’s last concert was recorded and shot into a 12 minutes film. In 2012 his new album « Obviously » was recorded in Liège and Paris.
In 2010, Fabrice created an ambitious project the Fabrice Alleman & Chamber Orchestra. He also collaborated with the duet Charlier–Sourisse.
Fabrice Alleman received the « Sabam Jazz Awards 2011 » as best confirmed Belgian jazz musician. A uear later, he was offered a « carte blanche » during the Gaume Jazz Festival where he took the opportunity to create a new project « A Step to the Sun » with Minino Garay, Fred Favarel, Reggie Washington and a string quartet which was to be a great success unanimously accredited by the press.
Fabrice Alleman is teacher at the Conservatoire de Bruxelles (saxophone, combos and big band)
He played and/or recorded with :
Edward SIMON (US), Kenny WERNER (US), Bora ROKOVIC (TCH), Michel HERR (B), Eric LEGNINI (B), Nathalie LORIERS (B), Ivan PADUART (B),Marc MOULIN (B), Tony O’MALEY (GB), Jean-Philippe COLLARD-NEVEN (B), Jozef DUMOULIN (B), Troy DAVIS (US), Gene LAKE (US), Stéphane HUCHARD (F), Kenwood DENNARD (US), Denis MACKREL (US), Clarence PENN (US), Dré PALLEMAERTS (B), Joël ALLOUCHE (F), BrunoCASTELLUCCI (B), Frédéric JACQUEMIN (B), Stéphane GALLAND (B), André CHARLIER (B),Jean-Louis RASSINFOSSE (B), Jean WARLAND (B), DavidPULPHUS (USA), Philippe AERTS (B), Reggie WASHINGTON (US), Diego IMBERT (F), Sal LA ROCCA (B), Mathias ALLAMANE (F), Randy BRECKER(US), Terence BLANCHARD (US), Bert JORIS (B), Pierre DREVET (F), Laurent BLONDIAU (B), Phil ABRAHAM (B), Benoît VANDERSTRAETEN (B),Thierry FANFANT (F), Linley MARTHE (F), Michel HATZIGIRGEOU (B), WDR Big band (D), Brussels Jazz Orchestra (B), Hiram BULLOCK (US),Philippe CATHERINE (B), Jef Lee JOHNSON (US), Pietro CONDORELLI (I), Fred FAVAREL (F), Pierre PERCHAUD (F), Neena FRELON (US), Stéphane SANSEVERINO (F), David LYNX (B), Nicole METZGER (D), Jean-Pierre CATOUL (B), Chirstophe CRAVERO (F), Franck TORTILLER (F), Guy CABAY (B),Marc BERTHOUMIEUX (F), Otello MOLINA (US), Minino GARAY (Arg), Xavier DESANDRE-NAVARRE (F), Paul FLUSH (GB), Benoît SOURISSE (F),etc
Awards
1997 - Nicolas Dor Prize (International Jazz Festival of Liège)
1997 - Belgian artistic promotion Prize
1999 - Best tenor & soprano saxophonist (belgian radios referendum)
1999 - Best jazz album of the year ("Loop the loop" - IGL 136)
2000 - Best soprano saxophonist & clarinettist (belgian radios referendum)
2005 - Top CD in Jazzmozaiek magazine ("Sides of life" - Lyrae records)
2011 - SABAM Jazz awards 2011 (ex "Django d'or") - confirmed musician
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