Philip Catherine

Belgian jazz guitarist. Born October 27, 1942 in London, England from an English mother and a Belgian father Coming from a musical family (his grandfather was first violin with the London Symphony Orchestra), he developed a musical ear from an early age. He took up the guitar after having heard George Brassens, and then started listening to all the great jazzmen of the period. Very soon he had the opportunity to meet some of them, and often play with them when they were performing in Belgium where his family had moved to by then. Philip Catherine has been on the forefront of the European jazz scene since the sixties. He has worked with great artists like Chet Baker, Edgar Bateman, Lou Bennett, Billy Brooks, Gerry Brown, Larry Coryell, Kenny Drew, Dexter Gordon, Stéphane Grappelli, Tom Harrell, John Lee, Charlie Mariano, Charles Mingus, Alphonse Mouzon, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Jean-Luc Ponty, Toots Thielemans, the rock group Focus (2). His unique approach and sound, his dedication to music and, above all, the highly emotional lyricism of expression in his playing and in his music, have been important and influential.