05/05
The concert takes place on Sunday May 5 at 5pm at the Palais Provincial, place Saint-Lambert, 18A, 4000 Liège.
TRIBUTE TO DIDIER LOCKWOOD
It's not just a great violinist who's falling silent today, it's a defender of music and the arts who was for me an enlightened friend, a king at heart", thus greeted François Lacharme, president of the Académie du jazz and Didier Lockwood's school, on Didier Lockwood's death.
Alexandre Cavaliere could have used these same words to salute Didier Lockwood in his turn... for he met the great violin master when he was 12, and shared the stage with him at a Django d'Or ceremony in Brussels. It was a decisive meeting with the man who was to become his mentor.
Alexandre CAVALIERE was born in 1985 near Mons, Belgium. Born into a family of musicians, he grew up surrounded by instruments as toys. From an early age, Alexandre learned rhythm by playing the snare drum in his father's orchestra. By the age of 8, he was already playing the piano, drums and, of course, the violin. It was in learning the violin that Alexandre best expressed his sense of rhythm, his improvisational skills and his great musical sensitivity. Lulled by the melodies of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, swing became an obvious musical choice for Alexandre.
In March 1998, fate gave Alexandre a helping hand by placing Didier LOCKWOOD and Babik REINHARDT in his path.
"These two great musicians were in Brussels for the Django d'Or. As for Alexandre, he was rehearsing for an evening at the Royal Windsor Hotel with his father, who leads the group Jazzy Strings. A few notes are all it takes for Didier LOCKWOOD, Babik REINHARDT and Frank HAGEGE to spot the talent hidden in this violinist's hands. What a surprise it was, when they pushed open the club's door, to discover a 12-year-old holding the violin! Amazed by such virtuosity and precociousness, they decided to invite Alexandre to the Django d'Or in Brussels and then Paris, where he was an immediate and resounding success! This was the start of a wonderful adventure, which culminated in their first album: "L'ALBUM" (Hébra records).
It was only natural, then, that a tribute to Didier Lockwood should see the light of day. A fitting tribute to the late artist.
Alexandre Cavaliere surrounds himself with musical accomplices for a choice set whose repertoire includes many titles played by Didier that everyone will discover or rediscover...
The line-up :
Alexandre Cavaliere: violin
Celis Roeland: guitar
Jérôme Baudart: drums
Olivier Stalon: bass