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The second album of this Luxembourg born guitarist, "Tease", cannot be pinned with any of the usual jazz labels. It' is a highly individual musical statement made up of fusion, cool and modern jazz. Some of the compositions are thoroughly arranged, some more improvised, some are lyrical, some frenetic, some with loony motives. It includes both acoustic and electric elements. There are samples, strange effects and it is thoroughly enjoyable. It traces a highly personal path through the thrilling universe of jazz.
David Laborier (guitar)
David Laborier began playing guitar when he was 13. He completed 4 years at the Conservatoire of Luxembourg and then studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston with Richie Hart graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor of Music.
He has performed as a sideman, and as the leader of his own trio since the mid '90's, in Europe and the United States. David taught guitar at the Westerhoff School of Music and Art and at the Sylvan Academy of Music, both in New Jersey while living in the States. He currently teaches guitar at the Conservatory of Luxembourg City in the department of jazz.
After returning to Europe he founded a trio and recorded an album with them in 2002. They gigged regularly in Luxembourg, Belgium and France performing original compositions by David, and jazz standards in a rejuvenated 50's – 60's style.
When signed to WPR, David was asked to write an album that would create his own individual jazz style setting him apart from the hundreds of excellent jazz guitarists on the scene. And so he did. The second album of this Luxembourg born guitarist, “Tease”, cannot be pinned with any of the usual jazz labels. It is a highly individual musical statement made up of fusion, cool and modern jazz. Some of the compositions are thoroughly arranged, some more improvised, some are lyrical, some frenetic, some with loony motives. It includes both acoustic and electric elements. There are samples, strange effects and it is thoroughly enjoyable. It traces a highly personal path through the thrilling universe of jazz. This album received extensive airplay.
Along with the new style came new musicians, amazingly all from Luxembourg: Michel Mootz on drums, Boris Schmidt on bass and Marc Mangen on piano. This new formation creates a new sound and a new direction for the lovely and sometimes interestingly "out there" compositions of Laborier.
Michel Mootz (drums)
Michel started his musical Career in The Conservatory of Luxembourg City. At the age of six he began classical percussion and piano lessons with Netty Glesener and Gary Mueller. Later he added drums, and began taking Jazz Vibraphone/Drums Lessons with Guy Cabay and Rainer Kind. He widened his musical horizon by using his musical abilities for different instruments. One year before his graduation in secondary school he completed his piano and drums studies with a “1er Prix” and one year later his percussion studies obtaining the “Prix Superieur”.
He has played in several bands such as The Gast Waltzing Sextett (At the Kennedy Center and in Nashville), Caravan 2000, and is actually playing and recording with Blue Room’s, Dani Balthasar, and the David Laborier Quintet.
Since 2001 he’s studying at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, working on a Bachelor’s Degree, with Lukas van Merwijk and Gerhard Jeltes.
Boris Schmidt (bass)
Boris Schmidt was born in 1983 and began playing music at the age of 7. His first instrument was classical saxophone. He also studied piano and harmony. Starting in 1998 he attended jazz piano and saxophone workshops in Rossignol (Belgium) with Alexandre Plumacker, Nicolas Dory, Jacques Pirotton and André Klenes as his first teachers.
He began to teach himself the electric bass in 1999. It was not until 2002 that he got started on double-bass, which was then taught to him by Marc Demuth. The double bass quickly became his instrument of choice. Since early 2003, Boris has been attending lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Den Haag, studying with the likes of Heyn Van Der Geyn, Frans Van Der Hoeven and Uli Glasmann.
Boris has performed with Marc Mangen, Michel Pils, Ulla Pihl, Leana Sealy, George Letellier, Claude Pauly, Ro Gebhardt.
Marc Mangen (piano)
Marc is a pianist of international fame, working in the field of Jazz as well as in Funk and Fusion. His personal style is based upon tradition, but also strongly shaped by his constant research into new harmonic and melodic possibilities.
Marc started his musical education in the conservatory of Luxembourg. There he obtained his "Premier Prix" (first prize) in 1978. The same year he moved on to the conservatory of Strasbourg (France) where he spent the following four years studying with the illustrious French pianist Gérard Frémy. Marc is a self taught Jazz player with his fathers record collection as his main guide: he never attended any official Jazz lessons. Nevertheless, he obtained in 1984 the French diploma "Professeur d'État de Jazz".
After playing with local bands in and around Luxembourg, he founded with some friends Afrodisax in 1983, an eight piece band based in Metz (France), and for 12 years they played in venues all around the East of France. They released two records during that period. In 1986 and 1994 he toured with former Mingus trumpet player. He has been the piano player in the Laurent Gianez Big Band in Metz from 1987 until 1991. Besides that, Marc always played in trio with changing rhythm sections. More recently, from 1997 until 2001, he played with Emmanuelle Somer, one of the very rare jazz oboe players in the world. He has performed at the following jazz festivals: Gaume Jazz Festival in 1986 and 1999; Strasbourg 1989; Jazz im Brunnenhof (Trier) 1998, 2000, 2002; Weimar 1998; Jazz au Chardon/Fallais 1998; Jazz Clervaux 2001 and 2002.
Other great musicians he has had the chance to play with over the years are Frank Agulhon, Uli Beckerhoff, Jarrod Cagwin, Claudio Fasoli, Tino Gonzales, Lindsey Horner, Janice Lakers, Jean-Loup Longnon, Glenn Miller, Itaru Oki, Peter Perfido, Michel Pilz, Jacques Pirotton, Gunnar Plümer, Sal laRocca, Johannes Schaedlich, Oliver Strauch, Mark Turner, Erwin Vann and many others. Marc has played concerts in Antwerpen, Amsterdam, Berlin, Besançon, Bordeaux, Bruxelles, Charleroi, Clermont-Ferrand, Colmar, Eupen, Kopenhagen, Liège, Luxembourg, Maastricht, Mainz, Metz, Mons, Nancy, New York, Ostende, Paris, Saarbrücken, Strasbourg, Thionville, Trier, Verviers, Weimar and other more relaxed places.
Marc started composing at a very young age, and his music has been performed by other musicians since he was 20. He composes modern classical music and jazz tunes, as well as longer compositions for jazz bands. He is also a commissioned composer for other bands. Additionally, he is teaching jazz and classical piano in the music schools of Luxembourg, Ettelbrück and Redange.
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