David Linx

Belgian jazz master vocalist David linx is a multi award-winning performing artist, lyricist and composer whose international career covers a wide variety of styles and cooperations with world-famous artists.

In 1986 David’s first acclaimed project « A Lover’s Question » with writer James Baldwin reciting his poetry on music composed and produced by David and Pierre Van Dormael, puts him in the lime light of the jazz world both in Europe and the USA. This cd with a.o. Steve Coleman, Slide Hampton, Deborah Brown recorded in 1985 and 1986 and released in 1991 is re-released in 2000 by Label Bleu/Harmonia Mundi and comes with a book of poems and short stories (some previously unpublished), in English, translated in French by the late Hubert Nyssen, founder and owner of the Actes Sud Publishing House

In 1992 David gets together with pianist – composer Diederik Wissels to form the legendary vocal- piano project that has never stopped recording and touring ever since, whether it be in duo, 4-tet, with Symphony Orchestra etc… This widely acclaimed duo – project is known to have given new life to contemperary vocal jazz ab-nd their songs appear in the Real Book of Sher Music. They have won numerous awards in many countries over the last 20 years. Their songs have been sung and/or recorded by many jazz vocalists such as Sheila Jordan, Maria Joao, Fay Claassen, Maria Pia de Vito, Norma Winstone, a.o.

They team up for projects with many different guests such as Paolo Fresu, « Heartland » for Universal Jazz.

In 2000 David records a cd of French songs ‘l’Instant d’Après », all originals, produced by Craig Street (Liz Wright, Cassandra Wilson,…) for Polydor/Universal to wide acclaim by press and audiences over Europe.

In 2003 Diederik Wissels sign up with Harmonia Mundi for a new cd celebrating their project’s 10th anniversary « This Time » and perform at the main Jazz International Festivals such as Vienne, Marciac, Montréal, Nice, etc…

At the end of 2004 Linx – Wissels team up with the 2 wonderful jazz vocalists Fay Claassen and Maria Pia de Vito to record « One Heart, Three Voices ». This project has them touring extensively for next 3 years.

Many project follow like 3 projects with the Brussels Jazz orchestra: Changing Faces, A Different Porgy and Another Bess, a re-read of Porgy and Bess, and Brel, a celebration of Jacques Brel’s repertoire, revisited and re-arranged.

Recent awared winning cd’s are The Whistleblowers, 7000 Miles, and the freshly released The Wordsmith in duo with Michel Hatzigeorgiou.

David is Professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels where he is in charge of the jazz vocal department since 1993 and has composed music for numerous scores for movies and documentaries. One of the movies won the first prize at Robert Redford’s Sundance Festival.

David has sung the National Anthem in front of the King and the Queen of Belgium and over 800 000 people for the 175th anniversary of Belgium.

A few awards amongst many :
– Knighted Knight of the Arts and Letters by French Minister of Culture – 2005
– Grand Prix of the Charles Cros Academy for Best Jazz record of the year – 2005
– Awarded Best European Jazz Musician by the Jazz Academy in 2005
– Knighted Knight of the Crown by the King of Belgium and Minister of Culture – 2008
– Grand Prix by the Jazz Academy for the Jazz-Opera «La Tectonique des Nuages » by Laurent Cugny – 2010
– Victoires De La Musique (European Grammy Awards) for best jazz-vocal album of the year with « Follow The Songlines » 2011
– Nominated for JazzIt (Italian Grammy’s) alongside Gregory Porter, Bobby McFerrin, Kurt Elling, Mark Murphy, Al Jarreau, Michael Bublé in the category of Best International Jazz Male Vocalists 2013
– Les Octaves De La Musique (Belgian Grammy’s) for Best Jazz Album of the Year 2013
– Sabam (Ascap) Jazz Award 2013
– Octave d’honneur in 2017
– Edison Jazz Awards in Holland 2017

David Linx has recorded over 15 solo albums as leader and/or co-leader and besides his own projects he is a frequent guest in the jazz circuit and also giving masterclasses in renownded conservatories worldwide

Has worked since the 1980’s with :
Harry « Sweets » Edison, Johnny Griffin, Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, The Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Foster, Toots Thielemans, Mino Cinelu, Paolo Fresu, Erik Truffaz, Aka Moon, Khalil Chahine, Roy Ayers, Oumou Sangaré, Meshell Ndegeocello, Billy Cobham, LJon Christensen, Didier Lockwood, Richard Galliano, Michel Portal, Kenny Wheeler, Claude Nougaro, Mark Murphy, Sheila Jordan, Ivan Lins, Daniel Humair, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Omara Portuondo, Fay Claassen, Agnès Jaoui, Maria Pia de Vito, Irène Jacob, Rhoda Scott, John Clayton, Marc Ribot, Nguyên Lê, Craig Street, Ernie Wilkins, The Dutch Metropole Orchestra, Steve Coleman, Jon Faddis, Ray Lema, Marc Ribot, Horace Parlan, Sahib Shihab, Andy Sheppard, Juan José Mosalini, Aldo Romano, Charlotte Rampling, Bob Stewart, Minino Garay, Hanna Schygulla, Maria Joao, Mario Laginha, David Gilmore, Maurane, Michel Fugain, Tetê Espindola, Ray Lema, Kevin Breit, Claudio Roditi, Norma Winstone, Ibrahim Maalouf, Lenine, Cristina Zavalloni, Magic Malik, Tigran Hamasayan, Médéric Collignon, Jacques Schwartz-Bart, Miroslav Vitous, Judy Niemack, Hamilton de Holanda,…

artist's website