Michel HERR
piano, composer, arranger, producer
Born in Brussels (Belgium), Michel Herr has built in parallel a rich career as a jazz pianist and as composer/arranger.
A a pianist, he had the opportunity to play with numerous renown jazz musicians, such as Chet Baker, Joe Lovano, Joe Henderson, Bill Frisell, Archie Shepp, Art Farmer, Johnny Griffin, Pepper Adams, John Abercrombie, as well as the cream of European and Belgian jazz musicians, etc…
He accompanied Toots Thielemans for almost two decades in the whole world.
Michel Herr has also been active as a composer and arranger and gained an international reputation in that field.
He wrote for his own bands (trio, quintet, nonet, etc…) as well as for prestigious European ensembles, a.o.the WDR, NDR Big Bands, the Metropole Orchestra, the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, as well as for ensembles of various formats : strings, chamber and symphony orchestras, choir, etc…
Michel Herr also wrote music scores for movies (“Just Friends”) and television.
He has an impressive discography (more than 100 albums) as a pianist but also as a composer and arranger. Among them, trio & quintet albums, a double cd of his compositions for jazz big band, “The Music of Michel Herr”, recorded with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra and “Positive” (Sabam Jazz Award), which features his music for sextet and string quartet.
Web site : www.michelherr.com | complete discography
Selected discography
Michel Herr : “Positive / Music for sextet and string quartet”
Igloo Records : https://www.igloorecords.be/album/positive-michel-herr/?lang=en
Sabam Jazz Award
With Bert Joris, trumpet, flugelhorn / Paul Heller, tenor sax / Peter Hertmans, guitar / Nathalie Loriers, piano / Sam Gerstmans, double bass / Dre Pallemaerts, drums. Guest : Tutu Puoane, vocals
+ string quartet : Benoît Leseure, Pierre Heneaux, violin / Jean-François Durdu, viola / Merryl Havard, cello
Compositions, arrangements and music supervision : Michel Herr
Page on the Michel Herr website : https://www.michelherr.com/common/cd_pages/positive.html
N.B. : the Michel Herr Positive Tentet (sextet and string quartet) is available for concerts and festivals :
http://www.michelherr.com/en/bands_pages/positive_en.html
Michel Herr & Brussels Jazz Orchestra : “The Music of Michel Herr”
Werf : http://www.dewerfrecords.be/en/catalog/music-michel-herr. Double CD.
Michel Herr conducts his compositions played by the Brussels Jazz Orchestra
Page on his website : https://www.michelherr.com/common/cd_pages/music_of_michel_herr.html
Michel Herr : “Notes of life”
Igloo records : https://www.igloorecords.be/album/notes-of-life-michel-herr/
With Bert Joris, trumpet, flugelhorn / Wolfgang Engstfeld, tenor sax / Michel Herr, piano & compositions / Riccardo Del Fra, double bass / Dré Pallemaerts, drums
Page on the Michel Herr website : https://www.michelherr.com/common/cd_pages/notes_of_life.html
Michel Herr : “Intuitions”
Igloo records : https://www.igloorecords.be/album/intuitions-michel-herr/
Sax Award
With Michel Herr, piano & compositions / Hein Van de Geyn, double bass / Leroy Lowe, drums
Page on the Michel Herr website : https://www.michelherr.com/common/cd_pages/intuitions.html
Michel Herr : “Just Friends”
AMC records
Movie soundtrack feat. Archie Shepp, tenor sax / Michel Herr, piano & compositions / Silvia Droste, vocals / Riccardo Del Fra, double bass / John Engels, drums + many Belgian musicians, such as Richard Rousselet, Jeanfrançois Prins, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, Philippe Aerts, Jan de Haas, Pierre Vaiana, Michel Massot, a big band etc…
Page on the Michel Herr website : https://www.michelherr.com/common/cd_pages/just_friends.html
Photo : Jacky Lepage