Guitarist Philip Catherine (1942) is called ‘the grandfather of Belgian jazz’. A brilliant improviser and much-loved accompanist, who is at his best as a soloist. Swinging, lyrical, and virtuoso. Catherine already has an extensive discography. His latest album is The String Project – Live In Brussels (2016). At first Catherine wasn’t interested in a musical career; he graduated as an economist. Yet, music kept pulling. At the age of sixteen he played with saxophonist Sonny Stitt in the Rose Noir in Brussels and he later worked with legends like Dexter Gordon, Charles Mingus,Jean-Luc Ponty, Jasper van ‘t Hof, and Charlie Mariano. Catherine is famed for his instantly recognizable sound. During his career he has met and performed with countless jazz giants; he toured Europe with trumpeter Chet Baker in 1985, for example. At the festival he will celebrate his 75th birthday in a special way.
