Manuel Hermia Freetet

Manuel Hermia - saxophones  
Samuel Blaser – trombon 
Jean-Paul Estévienart – trumpet  
Manolo Cabras – double bass  
Oriol Roca – drums  

Belgian saxophonist, improviser and composer Manuel Hermia (1967) has pursued interests in various stylistic domains over the past two decades. The album Long Tales and Short Stories (2010), recorded as a trio, won the "Octave de la Musique" for jazz release of the year in French-speaking Belgium. He is a member of the international quartet Orchestra Nazionale Della Luna and the trio Darrifourcq/Hermia/Ceccaldi. He enthusiastically researches the music of different cultures through projects like The Murmur of the Orient (a fusion of Indian ragas, Arabic ragas and other influences of the Orient), or collaboration with Algerian violinist Kheireddine Mkachiche, a master of Arab-Andalusian music.

His current ensemble/project Freetet is an expansion of the trio with two brass players (Jean-Paul Estévienart – trumpet, Samuel Blaser – trombone). They released the self-titled album in early 2022 for the leading Belgian jazz label Igloo Records. By naming it Freetet, the artist unequivocally wants to address the big theme of freedom. But, as he wrote on the cover, for him "a high degree of freedom doesn't have to be synonymous with chaos. This freedom adapts very well to structure, melody, joint action, balance, and imbalance phases. The goal is to have a meeting point, a fulfillment, a result that is both individual and collective." The compositions are defined, but the arrangements are open, presenting outlines of directions and roles, enabling each group member to express himself at any moment as he feels. The quintet strives for musical depths as much as for joy in the concert, in celebration of the freedom of jazz.

manuelhermia.com

Suport: Wallonie-Bruxelles International