Chroma
Album : Radea
Karel Van Marcke (piano) Karel studied classical percussion and obtained the first Masters degree in Flanders majoring in Composition, and Jazz and Pop Music Arranging from the Royal Conservatory in Brussels.
After many years of working as an assistant to other artists he has decided to work as composer and arranger on his own account. Since that decision Karel has written several classical pieces for piano, a brass quintet (for soloists of the Belgian National Orchestra) as well as a string quartet for soloists from the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, and also performed by the Rubio String Quartet ).
Karel Van Marcke's compositional style takes into account the importance of interaction between the musicians and the audience. It is very important to him that the musicians like what he writes for them, because their enthousiasm is reflected in the way they play it. Moreover, Karel uses elements from various musical styles. He combines more traditional jazz elements with fusion, free jazz, avant-garde, classical and ethnical music, he uses complex polyrhythms like the Aksak rhythms and variance in tonality with different modi, symmetric tones and Asian scales. Still, the result is not hard to digest for the musicians nor the listeners.
As a composer, Karel Van Marcke has gone through a long evolution. He is looking for a personal style while writing music which gives him a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction. While studying different styles and experimenting with them, he is always looking for the most natural ways to integrate the various elements. Studying composition in a formal way for a long time confronts the composer with the danger of getting trapped within a conceptual cocoon. Because of his open approach and by roaming about in a musical world of endless variety, Karel Van Marcke has been able to show that he has successfully sidestepped this particular trap.
Has worked with : Frank Vaganée, Erwin Vann, Laurent Blondiau, Bart Quartier, Herman Pardon, Nicolas Kummert, Marc Godfroid, Bart Defoort, Fabrice Alleman, Teun Verbruggen, Tom Van Landuyt, regisseur Alain Pringels, Michel Bisceglia, Johan Verminnen, Zjef Van Nuytsel, Dieter Limbourg, ea.
Has worked for : Vlaams Radio Orkest, Eurostar London, V-lux Belgium, Concertgebouw Brugge, Koninklijk Muziekconservatorium Brussel, Solisten van het Nationaal Orkest van België, Le Quatuor de Luxembourg e.a.
His ambition is to compose for Films.
Pascal Schumacher (vibes) was born on March 12, 1979, in Luxemburg.
He studied classical percussion and jazzvibes on the conservatories of Luxembourg, Strasbourg (F), Brussels (B) and The Hague (NL), and has also a master degree in musicology from the University of Strasbourg. He followed masterclasses and workshops with Gary Burton, Stefon Harris, Mike Mainieri, David Friedman, Wolfgang Lackerschmid.
From 1997 on, Pascal orientates himself more towards improvised music, especially jazz music, and plays regularly with different bands, such as Kristen Cornwell Quintet, Gasz3, Marc Demuth Quartet, Chroma, Oliver Strauch Regio Band.. He is very busy in the european jazz scene, with concerts alongside a.o. Fabrice Alleman, Joachim Badenhorst, Bruno Castelucci, Jan De Haas, Christophe Devisscher, Jim Grandcamp, Pierre Alain Gualsch, Ernie Hammes, Chris Joris, Sal La Rocca, Jef Neve, Paolo Radoni, Sofia Ribeiro, Erwin Vann, Teun Verbruggen, Konrad Wiszniewski.
In 2003 he forms his own quartet: Pascal Schumacher Quartet. The quartet released two albums "Change Of The Moon" (2003) and "Personal Legend" (2005) for IGLOO Records and toured in Australia, South Africa, Portugal, Greece, France, Germany, Benelux.
In 1998, he receives the "IKB Jugend-Förderpreis". In 1999, he is laureate of the Prix Norbert Stelmes des Jeunesses Musicales Luxembourg. In 2004, Pascal Schumacher Quartet wins the "First Prize" as well as the "Public Prize" at the legendary Tremplin Jazz Avignon. In 2005, he wins the Django d'Or Prize in the category "New Talent" in Belgium.
In 2001, Pascal Schumacher is appointed teacher at the Conservatoire de Luxembourg.
Joachim Badenhorst (reeds) started playing clarinet at age 7. Besides his weekly classical lessons, he got involved in more "sinful" artforms like playing in rockbands or spraying graffiti in his neighbourhood. After getting his ass kicked one night by a graffiti professional, he decided it was safer to express his feelings in the future on his clarinet.
After starting his jazz-studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague at age 17 he almost got his ass kicked again one night by a drummer who really hated Joachims version of `All the things you are`. That's when he decided it was probably safer, well... not to play with this drummer anymore.
At the Royal Conservatory where he took lessons from John Ruocco, Joachim started doubling on bassclarinet, tenor and soprano saxophones. After graduating in June 2003 he started the `Master degree` program at the same school where his teachers were Ruocco, Michael Moore and Tom Sieuwerts.
Joachim is both writing and performing music in many different settings and so called `styles`. Fortunately he doesn't get his ass kicked too much anymore these days.
Joachim performed with a.o.: Phil Abraham, Jacques Pirotton, Oliver Strauch, Toma Gouband, Nils Ostendorf, Martin Shönlieb, Manolo Cabras, Marek Patrman, Guy Cabay, Jean Yves Jung, Lynn Cassiers, Simon Jermyn, Sean Carpio, Ronan Guilfoyle, Tommy Halferty, De Cauter family, Yung Mi Choi, Jon Birdsong, Jorgen Cassier, Andrew Claes, Bruno de Bruxelles, Simon Witvrouw, Michel Reis, Anthony Claeys.
He has been working with the music/dance project 'Exit Entrance' with the collective Cosa Nova in 2003/2004 and with the musictheatre project 'Noah' from theatre company De Spiegel.
July 2002 he played on the North Sea Jazz festival in a bigbandproject where Kenny Werner conducted and played piano.
July 2004 he played on the North Sea Jazz festival with a.o. Michael Brecker, Clarence Penn, Adam Rogers, Gil Goldstein, Alex Sipiagin in the Michael Brecker Quindectet.
Cedric Waterschoot (bas) first took some piano lessons, then developed a passion for the electric bass, an instrument which he plays in several versions, fretted or fretless, 5 to 7 strings (!), which allows him to take both a role of an accompanyist and of a soloist.
He took lessons with Alexandre FURNELLE and Benoît VANDERSTRAETEN, then joined the Music Conservatory in Brussels to become Michel HATZIGEORGOU's student.
In 1995, just a few years after he started his professional career, he wins a Billy Sheehan Scolarship to join the Musician Institute in Los Angeles.
There he studies with world renowned musicians such as Gary WILLIS, Stanley CLARKE, Steve BAILEY, Mike STERN, Scott HENDERSON, etc. He returns to Europe in 1997, where he builds a brilliant career, playing in Europe, the US and Canada.
He participates in numerous projects, such as the Anne WOLF Trio (with whom he records the CD Amazone a.o. with Brazilian singer Marcia MARIA), O.O.P.S., URBAN TRAD, etc .The latter, a Universal recording artist, brings him on tour in Belgium and abroad, in the biggest festivals.
Also an arranger, Cédric WATERSCHOOT is also active writing and recording music for commercials, a.o. collaborating with Whar studios in Brussels.
Lionel Beuvens (drums) was born in1981 in Charleroi. After studying in the music school for classic percussion, he followed jazz lessons with Nathalie Loriers and followed summer camps with Billy Hart ( who played with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Stan Getz.). He studied in the consevatories of Brussels, Leuven (with Dré Pallemaerts), and Den Haag (with Eric Ineke).
He plays in a lot of bands in different styles: Glowee (pop), Dacosse (flamenco), Ostro Ouko (fusion of jazz and Bulgarian music), Whip (drum and bass), Llop Borja. and formed his own band with Nicolas Kummert, Alexi Tuomarila, Ingrid Weetjens, Brice Soniano and Bart Quartier. He had also the opportunity to play or record with Nicolas Thys, Jeroen Van Herzeele, Laurent Blondiau, Philippe Aerts, Peter Hertmans, Michel Bisceglia, Sal LaRocca
