Philippe Catherine does not play music. He is music.

“Philip Catherine is one of the last romantic jazz musicians. He does not play music: he is music. A lyricism to crack the unconscious. Music, music, sometimes with those tunes of simplicity that makes you believe that nothing is easier than to observe a photon in its race. The great art.”   said Francis Marmande from Le Monde.

This is the man Flagey will pay tribute on the occasion of its 75th anniversary. Philip Catherine will celebrate its birthday this Friday surrounded by great jazz musicians such as Bert Van den Brink or Nicola Andrioli.  It will be a multitasking evening for Catherine as he will play in duo, trio, quartet and even quintet.

Philip Catherine is not a Bruxellois de pure souche but he became one. He was born in London back in 1942, of a Belgian father and an English mother, and moved to Brussels when he was only 6-years old.

Catherine started on guitar in his teens, and by seventeen he was performing professionally at local venues. He released his debut album, Steam, in 1970. During the next few years, he studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, with Mick Goodrick and George Russell. In 1976, he and the guitarist Larry Coryell recorded and toured as an acoustic duo. The following year he recorded with Charles Mingus, who dubbed him “Young Django”. He has performed all over Europe as well as he received many awards, such as the Django d’Or” in 1998 (Paris), the “Maestro Honoris Causa” in 2002 (Antwerp Conservatory) and the “Best International Guitarist” in 2016 (Hamburg). Philippe Catherine released more than 20 albums.

You can watch Philip Catherine’s birthday concert via Flagey’s livestream.