Philip Catherine - the South German Newspaper in Munich just recently wrote that he “plays things that cannot be heard by any other guitarist in the world today”. His partner on the bass, Martin Wind, is one of only a few Germans who made it in New York. Both are aesthetes that love melodic jazz with Swing roots. Without any haste or superficial virtuosity, but instead with complete mutual trust they find the ideal tone, the right timbre for each note, lining up sound and space perfectly. A meeting of generations marked by harmony and respect.
The Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine is a European jazz legend. The now 71-year-old Catherine started playing professionally when he was only 17 and toured with artists such as Lou Bennett, Dexter Gordon, Jean-Luc Ponty, Chet Baker (with whom he recorded 6 albums), Tom Harrell and many others. In 1978 he received the “Artist of the year” award by the German Phono-Academy, and Charles Mingus gave him the nickname “Young Django”. This is also a result of his impeccable time feel, which allows him to sound relaxed and loose even while playing the most breathtaking up-tempo passages. But it is not mainly his technique and dexterity that sets him apart; furthermore what made him so unique is his acoustic guitar sound, as well as an improvisational style, which is based not on other guitarists, but on some of the great horn players in jazz...
line upPhilip Catherine / guitar
Martin Wind / bass
Produced by Siggi Loch
Recorded at Realistic Sound Studio by Florian Oestreicher, April 3 & 4, 2013
Mixed and mastered by Klaus Scheuermann
Cover Art (Detail) by Philip Taaffe / ACT Art Collection
