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Fabrice Alleman

«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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Tags

Primary Instrument

Saxophone

Location

Brussels

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Credentials/Background

Jazz saxophone, ensembles and big band teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels

Clinic/Workshop Information

A mélodic and harmonic approach in jazz improvisations.

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

OBVIOUSLY

Igloo Records
2013

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Videos

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