Benoit Martiny Band

: HAS PLAYED

Barquisimeto Jazz Festival (VE), Like a Jazz Machine (LU), Manchester Jazz Festival (UK), Sapporo Jazz Festival, Space Lab (JP), Oerol Festival (NL), Jazzland Festival, Jazz Fiesta Nemztetkozi Jazz Parade (AT), B-Flat (DE), Gaume Jazz Festival (BE)...

: PRESS QUOTES

"Having already checked out the Benoit Martiny Band in advance as part of mine and Jane’s jazz festival preview radio show, I was intrigued to see how they would go down. I’m happy to report they went down phenomenally well. It was in your face stuff for sure, but at the same time it was so strong, powerful, well rehearsed and well written that it grabbed the audience right from the off. It was hard not to be taken with the sheer energy and enthusiasm of it all.” - Review Manchester Jazz Festival

"The Benoit Martiny Band is a quintet with two saxes, bass and guitar with a deeply rock sound, led by a drummer with a boundless energy and who exudes a powerful and lyrical rock/blues, streaked by flamboyant solos from brass and guitar. All this happily flirts with jazz, funk ..." - Thierry Quénum, Jazzmagazine

"Il y a un degré de fusion dans l’improvisation collective qui est impressionnant. Pas de temps mort, on a l’impression qu’ils sont vingt sur scène comme dans « Not Just a Fling » ! Benoit Martiny règne sur son monde avec une section de cuivres sans trombone ni trompettes, et la clarinette basse au jeu intense de Michel Pilz prend souvent des soli époustouflants comme dans « Spiritual Revolution » ou « Don’t Leave a Message ». « Cosmic Journey » vous donnera une pêche d’enfer, avec l’envie de tout déménager sur un solo de saxophone alto de Jasper van Damme à se pâmer... Tout comme la clarinette basse incandescente qui attaque l’harmonieux « Alone » et continue avec un saxophone ténor tout en nuances, le tout enveloppé du jeu discret du claviériste Leon del Engelsen. Instants magiques... en fait, pas besoin de pétard pour planer... Après « Don’t Leave a Message » nous ramenant prosaïquement sur terre, suit « Hectic Fantastic » très rock illuminé par le solo de Roby Glod et qui se termine à la Zappa ! Tandis que « Funeral II » lorgne presque du côté du métal avec une guitare électrique et une basse à l’envi pour conclure un concert mené à la baguette ! Bon, quand est ce que vous venez tous jouer dans l’Hexagone?" - Florence Ducommun, Culture Jazz

: BIOGRAPHY

The Benoit Martiny Band or BMB are a jazz-rock band formed in summer 2004 somewhere in between a garage in Rameldange(LU) and the streets of Rotterdam (NL). The group consists of Benoit Martiny (LU) on drums, Sandor Kem (HU) on Bass, Jasper van Damme (NL) and Joao Driessen (NL), on saxophones and Frank Jonas (NL) on guitar.

The music they play is composed by Martiny and is inspired by jazz, rock, free jazz, and psychedelia. Over the years BMB has released 5 albums and 2 DVD’s. The band was nominated for the Dutch Jazz Competition in 2005 and won the Amersfoort Jazz Talent Award in 2008. Apart from touring all over Europe the band has also played concerts and festivals in Japan and Venezuela.

Over the years BMB collaborated with many other different musicians like Michel Pilz, Mark Lotterman, Itaru Oki, and Steve Kaspar. In 2014 they extended the BMB experience with “The Grand Cosmic Journey”, especially created for the “Like a Jazz Machine” jazz festival in Dudelange. The journey was continued in a sold out room in Luxembourg's Philharmonie in 2019, an eclectic concert completed with Video projections and free improvisations. The concert was recorded and is released as an album called Moons of Uranus in 2020.

Band members:

• Jasper van Damme – alto saxophone
• Joao Driessen – tenor saxophone
• Sandor Kem – Double-bass and electric Bass
• Frank Jonas – Guitar
• Benoit Martiny – Drums

Regular guests:

• Mark Lotterman – vocals
• Michel Pilz – bassclarinet
• Leon den Engelsen – keyboards