TUYS | Everyday Soleil
Single release: March, 10 | TWO STEPS TWICE records

Everyday Soleil is a track about the sunlight that a relationship can bring to our lives. The song comes with a new part of TUYS’ upcoming short film

“Reality Management Ltd.” in which TUYS turn into a company selling realities to frustrated clients. The band has performed at the last editions of festivals such as Reeperbahn Festival, Iceland Airwaves or ESNS and will tour Europe in May after the release of their album. The latest single “Look Alive” has been playlisted in All New Rock (US), Indie Goesting (on the cover), New Music Friday BE or All New Noise.

«Tour mates of The 1975, Everything Everything and Imagine Dragons, TUYS are kicking off their 2023 with a stellar new single, ‘Look Alive’» – House of Solo

 

Pleasing | feed me to those I envy the most
Single release: February, 14 | TWO STEPS TWICE records
EP release: April, 7 | TWO STEPS TWICE records

“feed me to those I envy the most” is Pleasing’s second single of the upcoming EP titled “for us to escape”. The tale started with “the structure’s above” where a divine being descends to question Patrick’s pursuit for meaning. This time, Pleasing unleashed noisy synths, uncontrollable screams and melodic atmospheres to throw back any frustration at one’s biggest judge: Yourself. From feelings of inferiority to egocentric and bitter behavior, the judge will use every expectation you have towards yourself to bring you down.

“Pleasing has achieved a master stroke: his new song makes depression tangible without trivialising it.” – Kulturnews

 

Sheebaba | bruit_RE
bruit_RE digital release: February, 24 | Katalog records
bruit/bruit_RE physical vinyl release: March, 14 | Katalog records

During the recording and production of their debut EP “bruit” in early 2022,  Sheebaba quickly realised that the material they gathered is capable of more than just what they are able to do with it. The universe of Sheebaba is ever expanding and so are the possibilities of their output. In order to reveal what their songs can become if interpreted by someone else, Sheebaba gave the stems to some of their favourite artists from Luxembourg, Germany and the UK and let them run wild with it. The result is an EP that flows in the same vein as the group‘s usual work, yet coming from a bunch of different angles.

 

Seed to Tree | Major Lydian
Single release: March, 17 | Pop-up records

On their new single Major Lydian, Seed to Tree is taking a new turn on their musical journey, walking down the memory lane of new wave and dream pop. Their newest song is loaded with pop-cultural references hinting at David Bowie, The Talking Heads or 90s cult movie Trainspotting. But besides being an homage to all the influences that have been part of the band’s history, the song is mainly a realisation that the band Seed to Tree has become more than the sum of all their inspirations. After playing music together for more than a decade, the four musicians are finding their comfort of a home town in creating songs together that have an identity on their own.

ENGLBRT | Harm
Single release: February, 24 | Listenrecords

Both musicians draw on a long legacy of omnivorous instrumental and genre-bending music, with a sound that is slow and widescreen, incorporating elements of electronica, contemporary jazz and well-crafted indie-pop. As if working from a lab setting, the duo composed by Georges Goerens and Niels Engel, isolates samples from their common musical lexicon to unearth hidden relationships, always leading to the discovery of enticing combinations. Those first experiments and songs shaped the nature of the collaboration resulting in their debut EP Odes to Everything to be released on the Berlin-based label Listenrecords in 2023. Taking cues from the endless scroll of everyday life, ENGLBRT delivers a dazzling soundtrack to our accelerated culture, shaping new sonic possibilities in the process.

 

Josh Island | Rewind
Single release: March, 17
Album release: September, 15

With “Rewind” Josh calls on listeners to take a step back when things don’t work out: “We all have moments that we worry about what’s next, a fear of failure. Sometimes you’re not comfortable with a situation, things don’t go to plan or you’re simply unsure what steps to take. Take a step back – and start over again.”

This theme not only comes up in the lyrics, but also in the song’s arrangement, with lots of reverse effects and repetitive riffs. Rewind is a pop-rock track full of driving guitars, rhythmic vocals and a massive, crescendo finale. The single was produced once again by Nelson Canoa (Sara Tavares, Carminho), who also produced Josh’s last EP and upcoming album. Musicians from The Black Mamba (Eurovision 2021) formed his studio band during recordings.


CHAiLD | Close to You
Single release: March 17 | Beast records

Close to you is a romantic sing along in the car pop song. It is about the genuineness of the first love and how it makes us feel like we’re on top of the world. Along the lines of Julia Michaels and Tate McRae, imagine this song to be a warm and nostalgic ray of sunshine as we’re slowly coming out of winter.

https://chaild.lnk.to/CloseToYou 

CHAiLD | Urgent Care EP
EP realease: April 14 | Beast records

“This world just seems a bit too heavy sometimes. I seek shelter in my inner world, my dreams and my imagination. As I close my eyes, my mind slows down and I feel myself fading away to peaceful places. “Urgent care” is a collection of songs about vulnerability and healing from trauma through honesty with oneself and others.

I wrote it in a time where I felt hopeless, and in which songwriting was my way to cope with my anxiety. In a way, making this record was my “urgent care”” – CHAiLD


MAZ | LAST DAY
Single release: February 17 | Beast records

LAST DAY is Maz’ second single of his “EMO SEASON EP” campaign. It’s a song about trying to enjoy every last bit of every single day because it might be your last. « There’s not enough time in this life to play a fake and restricted version of who you really are ; free yourselves! ». This is a one of the brighter tracks in the rather dark Univerze of Maz, combining pop and punk-rock elements which will make people feel like it’s summer during the cold and dark winter.


EDSUN | Carter
Release : March 24 | Beast records

“Artists get taken advantage of a lot of the time. This is a reminder to ask for what is yours. As an eye witness I can say that we are getting tired of excuses. Business is Business, now cut my check.”- EDSUN

Make sure to check out the upcoming single on release date!

As a trumpet player, composer, arranger and conductor, Gast Waltzing started 2023 with numerous concerts and artistic encounters that show the diversity of his projects and musical interests: a collaboration with the jazz musician Kyle Eastwood, a new CD release with Myles Sanko and the Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg, concerts worldwide with his long-standing artistic partner Angélique Kidjo, but also Shiho, the mythical band Alphaville, as well as Morgane Ji. All these international collaborations, that Gast Waltzing had with many other musicians such as Gregory Porter, Dionne Warwick, were all steps that paved the way to a Grammy Award winning in 2016.

Gast Waltzing was indeed awarded this outstanding distinction with Angélique Kidjo in 2016 for the album “Sings” recorded with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg (429 Records). This project started years before, when the conductor suggested the Beninese singer to arrange her most successful tracks for symphonic orchestra. A crazy project, according to Kidjo, which won over the audience and is still filling concert halls today. The duo has just returned from a series of concerts in the south of France with the Orchestre national Avignon-Provence in January, and then in Tromsø and Bodø (NO) with the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra in February, showing how this project has managed to conquer the whole of Europe.

This collaboration with Angélique Kidjo, coupled with the Grammy, allowed Gast Waltzing to gain a certain notoriety and to be increasingly identified as a conductor of his own arrangements and compositions. This is how the project “Eastwood Symphonic” was able to grow. Developed with the renowned jazz bassist Kyle Eastwood, it is described as a “musical road-movie” giving a tribute to the music scores of Clint Eastwood’s best movies, orchestrated by Gast Waltzing. “Eastwood Symphonic” premiered at the Nancy Jazz Pulsation festival in 2022, and will start its tour in May with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (NO), the Czech national Symphony Orchestra (CZ), the Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg (LU), the Orchestre régional de Normandie (FR), and the Orchestre national d’Avignon-Provence (FR). Many other concerts are to be announced soon.

Gast Waltzing also reinforces his identification as conductor and orchestrator through an upcoming release on which he contributed under both hats: the singer Myles Sanko is indeed to publish a recording of his concert with the Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg in 2020.

Beyond the international collaborations and the Grammy Award, which he considers more as a “facilitator” than as an end in itself, Gast Waltzing’s great strength undoubtedly lies in his openness and his involvement in projects with diverse musical aesthetics. He will for instance conduct the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg with the German band Alphaville, who celebrate their 40th anniversary and look back on their greatest hits, for a tour across Germany and Switzerland. On the jazz side, 2023 will punctuated by concerts with the singer Morgane Ji, and the development of the project “Peace, Drugs and Love” with the violinist Jean-Jacques Mailliet and the contemporary music ensemble United Instruments of Lucilin.

All this eclectism reveals Gast Waltzing’s willingness to differentiate, something he considers a pillar of his career, and which he intends to cultivate for the projects he is developing for the years to come.

Confirmed dates:
05.05: Eastwood Symphonic, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger, Norway
17.05: Eastwood Symphonic, Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
20.05: Eastwood Symphonic, Orchestre Régional de Normandie, Coutances, France
27.05: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Konzerthaus, Freiburg, Germany
28.05: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Liederhalle, Stuttgart, Germany
29.05: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, KKL, Luzern, Switzerland
16.06: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Isarphilharmonie, München, Germany
17.06: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Meistersinghalle, Nürnberg, Germany
21.06: Eastwood Symphonic, Czech national symphony orchestra, Prague, Czech Republic
08.07: Eastwood Symphonic, Umbria Jazz festival, Umbria, Italy
15.07: Eastwood Symphonic, Orchestre de Cannes, Cannes, France
18.07: Eastwood Symphonic, Orchestre d’Avignon-Provence, Avignon, France
19.10: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany
06.11: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Tonhalle, Düsseldorf, Germany
13.11: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany
14.11: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Theater am Aegi, Hannover, Germany
04.12: German Film Orchestra Babelsberg & Alphaville, Philharmonie, Essen, Germany

Bach Stage, Francesco Tristano and Leo Margue (Scala Music)
Release on March 3rd, 2023 on Scala Music.

“He used to play Bach concertos standing, with energy and vivacity! With this album, pianist Francesco Tristano shakes all our habits. Have we ever listened to these concertos with such an obsessive rhythmic, with 2022-composed cadences, and with such a young and committed ensemble? Without disavowing the interpretations from the past, it is a real slap in the face that awakens our vision of the cantor’s work.”

Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto No. 1 in D minor BWV 1052
Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto No. 4 in A major BWV 1055
Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto No. 7 in G minor BWV 1058

Source: Scala Music

The Aquatic Museum, Claire Parsons & Laurent Peckels – Global Project Grant laureate 2022
Upcoming singles to come. Stay tuned.

A genre-breaking project, The Aquatic Museum skilfully combines the colour palettes of jazz harmony, the delicacy of a chamber ensemble, and the energy of a pop band. Carefully crafted compositions take us on a journey that reinvents the sound of pop delicately weaving moving lyrics with a spectrum falling between the poles of minimalism, the epic, and everything in between. This is chamber pop.

The collective – founded by singer-songwriter Claire Parsons (UK/LU), musician and app developer Laurent Peckels (LU) and in praise of folly violist Nicole Miller (US) – extends beyond European borders bringing together an arsenal of individually accomplished musicians and multimedia artists to bring the album, live concept and app to life striven by the determination to go beyond conventional ways of creating, releasing and performing music.

First single Large Pleasure Watercraft and Trash Tub are available on all platforms. To watch the videoclips directed by Jeanne Held, click here.

Source: The Aquatic Museum

Prismatica, Pascal Schumacher & Goldmund Quartet
Vinyl release on March 31, 2023 under Berlin Classics

“Last summer, I took some time to imagine how to translate the reflections and the different faces of a prism after a commission for string quartet by Goldmund Quartet cellist Raphael Paratore. It was quite a challenge. My new composition “Prismatica” comes as a result of these explorations, and is available on all streaming platforms. In spring, a physical release on vinyl is planned under Berlin Classics.”

Source: Pascal Schumacher

CTRL Variations, Pascal Schumacher, Michel Welfringer, Ian Monk & United Instruments of Lucilin
Vinyl release on April 28th, 2023. More info on the release concert here.

“Is it a love story? Undoubtedly. Is it a play about the strange relationship between people and their computers? Likewise (after all, among other things, quite a few annoying spam mails are given musical honours in it). Is it experimental literature? Certainly, at least in part, because one of the actors from the Oulipo circle of authors around Raymond Queneau and Georges Perec is involved in it. Is it film music for an abstract film with letters instead of actors? In a way, that too (as Pascal Schumacher says? “Film music is cooler to write than other music anyway.”).
When jazz musician and composer Pascal Schumacher, typographer Michel Welfringer and writer Ian Monk join forces to write variations on CTRL (control? the control key? the sounds C, T, R and L? the letters?) for the ensemble United Instruments of Lucilin, a kind of controlled loss of control is preprogrammed.”

Source: United Instruments of Lucilin for 33,7

Coming home, Mathieu Clément
Release on March 24th, 2023, Double Moon Records (Challenge Records) in the series JazzThing Next Generation.

In February 2022, the young drummer Mathieu Clément recorded his first album Coming Home, to be released on March 24th 2023 under Double Moon Records (Challenge Records) in the Jazz Thing Next Generation Series. The music he writes, which can be described as straight ahead/modern jazz, reminds of the compositions of Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter or Thelonious Monk. A first tour (16-28 March) will bring him to Cologne, Luxembourg, Mainz, Dresden, Leipzig, Nürnberg, Vienna and Salzburg.

Source: Mathieu Clément

Mozart : Piano Sonatas Vol. 4, Jean Muller
Release on March 3rd on Hänssler Classic.

Jean Muller just published the fourth volume of Mozart’s complete piano sonatas, after the publication of the first three albums, which were widely praised by the press. This new album makes us discover sonatas no. 7, 13, and 15, and “place the pianist in the first rank of important Mozart interpreters” (Pizzicato.lu)

 

Whether in French, German or Luxembourgish, literature or other genres, here is a small overview of what you will discover in bookshops at the beginning of the year!

Jean Portante, Une dernière fois, la Méditerranée
Editions Phi, January 2023, Fiction, French
Une dernière fois, la Méditerranée closes the trilogy opened in 2015 with L’architecture des temps instables and extended in 2019 with Leonardo. The Nardelli of Mrs Haroy ou la mémoire de la baleine , who became Rossi in the course of writing, will thus be found, as well as Jean Portante’s favourite themes: migration, war, generational mixing, secrets buried in the layers of time, the skilful amalgam of fiction and autobiography. And this time, a diversion through the founding myths of travel and exile.

Tom Reisen, Discours sur la littérature 09
CNL, October 2022, Essay, French
Tom Reisen’s work questions, among other things, the relationship to time and reality by relying on the mechanisms and possibilities of narration. Articulated in two stages, his discourse first focuses on the personal practice of writing, its memorial, intertextual and autobiographical aspects. The reflection then extends to the Luxembourg literary field in order to raise questions and propose theoretical paths in the context of a literary history that has yet to be written.

Claudine Muno, Dëst ass net däi Liewen
Op der lay, November 2022, Children’s literature, Luxembourgish
Dëst ass net däi Liewen follows a young narrator who meets Jan on the bus and decides to follow him, even though he is not her style. She approaches him on the bus, close enough to determine that he smells of soap, but not close enough to hear the music playing in his headphones.

Susanne Jaspers & Denis Scuto (HG.), This Hard Minett Land
capybarabooks, November 2022, Short stories, German, english, french and luxembourgish
This Hard Minett Land is an invitation to a very special journey through southern Luxembourg: some forty writers and historians have been inspired by the songs of Bruce Springsteen to write about the Luxembourg-Lorraine mining area, about those who live there and have lived there, who were born there or immigrated there, who worked there, loved there, dreamed there, hoped there, struggled there, succeeded – or failed.

With stories from : Jean Back, Ulrike Bail  Jean Back, Ulrike Bail, Serge Basso de March, Romain Butti, Michel Clees, Anja Di Bartolomeo, Andreas Fickers, Tullio Forgiarini, Claude Frisoni, Piero Galloro, Gast Groeber, Julia Harnoncourt, Guy Helminger, Nico Helminger, Tom Hengen, Jhemp Hoscheit, Susanne Jaspers, Jean-Marc Lantz Marc Limpach, Charel Meder, Roland Meyer, Claudine Muno, Gérard Noiriel, Gilles Ortlieb, Luciano Pagliarini, Antoine Pohu, Jean Portante, Irene Portas, Jérôme Quiqueret, Anne-Marie Reuter, Daniel Richter, Nathalie Ronvaux, Fatima Rougi, Jeff Schinker, Denis Scuto, Jens van de Maele, Nora Wagener

EHTL, Mmmmh – Des recettes végétales gourmandes pour bien manger
EHTL – École d’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme du Luxembourg, Diekirch, December 2022, cookbook, french and english
Two chefs and teachers, Steve Lentz covering savoury dishes and Carole Goerend covering sweet dishes, have devised and produced 59 recipes that are entirely plant-based and almost 100% vegan. Gourmet dishes and desserts, inspired by their experiences, discoveries and travels, accessible to all.

As part of its mission to promote and disseminate the Luxembourg arts scene, Kultur | lx has joined forces with Rotondes and Spektrum to invite professionals from the international digital arts scene to discover the projects of Luxembourg artists who will be exhibiting at the next edition of Multiplica, which will be held from 24 February to 5 March at Rotondes.

On the programme: on the site of the Rotondes and elsewhere, the public of all ages will be able to discover international and local digital and multimedia art creations, workshops for children and adults, audio-visual performances, concerts and meetings with artists, including:
Andrea Mancini – MINERALS: performance, installation, meet the artist / 24.02-26.02.
Steve Gerges – TOWERS: installation / 24.02-26.02.
Slumbergaze : concert / 25.02

About Multiplica
The Multiplica festival is a cultural and artistic project initiated by the Rotondes which started in 2015 with a first conference entitled “What is digital art? Driven by the will of some members of the team to create a festival around digital and multimedia arts in Luxembourg, the project has grown through its biennial editions (2017, 2019, 2021) and has become an important meeting point for everyone who is interested in arts that use current technologies and in the many themes related to the digitalisation of our daily lives, such as the impact of technologies on our environment or digital exclusion.

Discover the complete programme of Multiplica here.

 

 

neimënster’s stages celebrated Luxembourg Jazz, featured at Shuffle on November 25th and 26th. The line-up presented eight bands from the Grand Duchy, who showed their latest projects to the audience and a delegation of 38 European professionals invited by Kultur | lx for this occasion.

On November 25th, Daniel Migliosi and his five young partners played compositions from his latest album Left on scene, released on November 4th under Mons Records. A perfect occasion to discover the fresh hard-bop of these youngsters. Later in the evening, Gast Waltzing, Jean-Jacques Maillet and the ensemble United Instruments of Lucilin performed the pieces from the brand new project Peace, Drugs and Love. Then, the audience and the professionals could discover the first chamber pop music tracks of the collective The Aquatic Museum, carried by Claire Parsons and Laurent Peckels, laureates of the Global Project Grant 2022. Besides, in the frame of an exchange between Kultur | lx and the showcase festival FIRA B!, taking place every year in Mallorca, the band Isis Apache Montero had the opportunity to present their project to the delegation. The band Dock in Absolute, on the other side, had the chance to perform at FIRA B! on last September 29th as part of this exchange.

On November 26th, the variety of invited delegation, composed of promoters, booking agents, labels and journalists, could meet artists and professionals from the Luxembourg jazz scene in the frame of a formal networking event organised by Kultur | lx. These exchanges allowed the Luxembourg scene to present their current projects in person, an essential step for the career development of the artists. Earlier in the morning, the professionals and artists from Luxembourg were invited to take part in a workshop dedicated to the touring of jazz projects in France. This workshop, hosted by Christiane Louis, Career development coach at the Cité de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris, gave the participants information on networks and actors of jazz touring in France, as well as on French cultural policies in the field of touring. The second hour was dedicated to a round-table on programming mechanisms for jazz projects in France, where Tiphanie Moreau, Head of international relations at the “Orchestre national de jazz”, Gilles Gautier, director of Jazzus, and Antoine Bos, general secretary of the “Association Jazzécroisé”, gave their point of view on the subject.

 

Kultur | lx also organised the trip of the delegation to Dudelange with the aim to discover the project Synaethesia of the Trio Reis Demuth Wiltgen and Emile V. Schlesser, made possible by Esch2022 – European Capital of culture and the “Centre culturel régional opderschmelz”. The second evening allowed numerous Luxembourg jazz bands to perform, among them the Arthur Possing Quartet with their project Natural Flow, as well as the young project LINQ branded “New Talent” during the festival. Later in the evening, Tele-Port presented a mix of their old and new compositions that will be featured in the next album of the band, whose release is planned for 2023. The audience also could listen to Maxime Bender Universal Sky’s project and the concert of Dock in Absolute.

These rich days marked a key moment for Luxembourg jazz and will certainly be a starting point for its ever-increasing identification on the European level.

Awarded annually to a musician of each aesthetic (pop/rock/ electro/hip-hop, jazz/world, classical/contemporary) since 2020, the Global Project Grant supports artists in the development of an ambitious medium- or long-term project aimed at boosting their career through promotion, marketing and dissemination, as well as the acquisition of know-how in the music industry. Kultur | lx accompanies the artists and their teams in each step of the project.

After Francis of Delirium (pop/rock), Claire Parsons (jazz) and Francesco Tristano (classical/contemporary), and following a call for applications, the selection committee, composed of Stephanie Baustert (manager), Florence Martin (United Instruments of Lucilin), Marc Nickts (SACEM) and John Rech (opderschmelz), unanimously decided to award the Global Project Grant to Josh Island (pop/rock/electro/hip-hop) and Greg Lamy (Jazz).

In accordance with the attribution conditions related to the Global Project Grant, stating that the Committee may decide not to award the grant, if it feels that the applications submitted to it do not justify the award, no Global Project Grant will be awarded in the classical/contemporary music category for 2023. The Selection Committee felt that the early stage of the applicants’ careers and the lack of a holistic approach to project development made it impossible to award the grant, as Kultur | lx has other schemes to assist and support artists.

 

Josh Island

Statement of the Selection Committee
With a strong drive and DIY spirit, Josh Island’s development over the past couple of years, not just on the touring but the recording side, has already proved that the artist is on the right path to success. Josh Island presented a very impressive, realistic, and actionable plan for 2023 that convinced the committee to award him the 2023 Global Project Grant.

Statement of the artist
An artist’s debut album is a magical milestone, and having just concluded recordings in Portugal I look forward to its release in September 2023. Being awarded the Global Project Grant means I can promote the record extensively in the Benelux & GSA regions, both through media promotion as well as on the road. Some highlights include my 2023 headline tour as well as playing Fengaros Festival in Cyprus. I also look forward to more cross-border collaborations with other artists and producers in Europe, such as songwriting camps, which I find super exciting and creatively motivating.

Biography of the artist
Josh Island is a true European. Born in the British roundabout town of Milton Keynes to a Dutch family, he moved to Germany and Luxembourg before eventually settling in the Netherlands. This natural curiosity for cultures and people is reflected in his music, with the ability to go beyond geopolitical boundaries.
As a vocal powerhouse, soulful songwriter and engaging live performer, Josh Island has been steadily growing a loyal fan base across Western Europe. He draws inspirations from Sting, Jamie Cullum or John Mayer, a dynamic blend of catchy singer-songwriter pop with strong influences of soul and folk. But at its core lies Josh’s unique ability to connect with the crowd – his interactive shows break down invisible barriers between audience and artist.
Since starting out playing local bars in Luxembourg in 2015, he has opened for James Morrison and Passenger, toured the Benelux and Germany and released two EPs.
​For his latest EP, ‘Love Don’t Come Easy’, Josh travelled to Portugal to work with producer Nelson Canoa (Sara Tavares, Carminho), with contributions by members of The Black Mamba (Eurovision 2021) and renowned arranger Luis Figueiredo. The singles ‘Fire In You’ and ‘Love Don’t Come Easy’ achieved national airplay in Germany and Luxembourg. Josh also worked with Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue) and represented Luxembourg at the Eurotoire songwriting and album production camp on Cyprus.
In 2022 he released two singles off his debut album, coming September 2023. ‘Make It’ is about forging your own path no matter what other people say, and was premiered on Sublime FM (Netherlands). ‘Pennies From Heaven’ is a song about cherishing the moment and questioning our relationship with time. It was premiered by KINK FM (Netherlands) and added to Spotify’s Stay Tuned! Playlist.

 

Greg Lamy

Statement of the Selection Committee
The Selection Committee would like to congratulate Greg Lamy for his application to the Global Project Grant. It entails indeed a long-term vision and demonstrates a strong strategy that will be carried out thanks to Greg Lam’y professional entourage.

Statement of the artist
The Global Project Grant allows me to approach the post-production and especially the promotion of my latest album with more serenity, with Flavio Boltro and the whole team!  I also see the award of this grant as a recognition that allows me to consolidate my career at the European level, but also internationally. It greatly confirms the artistic choices I have made in the past and motivates me even more to start new collaborations and to continue on the artistic path I have chosen. Our project with Flavio Boltro will be presented during the concert on Friday, December 09 at the Philharmonie Luxembourg.

Biography of the artist
“A guitar player whose refreshing and pure guitar sound gives birth to multiple melodic climates, underlined by a most fluid style, a musician with a promising future. ” Such is Lionel Loueke’s praise of the American-Luxembourgish guitarist and composer Greg Lamy, one of the most talented artists of the European jazz scene.
After studying jazz guitar in Boston at the Berklee College of Music as well as in London at the Trinity College, Lamy was quickly noticed when showcasing with various bands in clubs and at festivals across Europe and the United. He plays and has played with, among others, Lionel Loueke, Gretchen Parlato, Flavio Boltro, Bojan Z, Marco Massa, …
For Lamy, a tour follows hot on the heels of another. Europe, United States, Brazil, China – his music goes around the world. He released numerous albums with different projects, most notably, with his quartet, “Meeting” in 2013 and “Press Enter” in 2017, both on Igloo Records and both highly praised and among the label’s bestselling albums.
In 2016, Greg Lamy won the Export Artist of the Year Award (music:LX) in the Jazz category. In 2020, he was offered an endorsement deal by the renowned guitar manufacturer “Westville”.
In April 2021, he will release his new album “Observe the Silence” on Igloo Records.

Taking advantage of the Luxembourg Art Week, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg organised from 9 to 11 November a focus on the Luxembourg art scene for contemporary art professionals.

During three days, about twenty professionals from 5 countries who had come to Luxembourg, visited art centres, museums and artists’ studios.

For this third Focus on the Visual Arts, Kultur | lx offered foreign professionals studio visits curated by Marianne Derrien, independent curator, art critic, teacher and vice-president of c|e|a, the French association of curators in France.

Five artists opened the doors of their studios to guide visitors into their unique worlds: Aline Bouvy, Hisae Ikenaga, Vera Kox, Letizia Romanini and Aïda Schweitzer. These were moments of intimate and profound exchange that allowed each of them to confront another view of their work and other horizons of expectation.

In addition to Marianne Derrien’s selection, Kultur | lx shares with professionals the conviviality and dynamism of the Luxembourg cultural scene by sharing the initiatives of artists and cultural institutions in Luxembourg.

Thus, during a privileged visit, the professionals were able to discover the exhibitions of Tacita Dean and Waters’ Witness by Tarek Atoui at Mudam, Anachronisms by Deimantas Narkevičius and New Minett curated by Sandy Flinto, Pierrick Grobéty and Daniel Marinangeli at the Konschthal Esch as well as Jours de lenteurs by Adrien Vescovi at the Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’Art Contemporain.

The Luxembourg artist Eric Mangen generously opened the doors of Monique Becker’s studios and Yann Annicchiarico, winner of the portfolio grant who, accompanied by Clément Minighetti, curator at Mudam, presented his publication Des papillons de nuit et de l’échelle de Muybridge.

Finally, on the fringes of this curated programme, Kultur | lx organised on Friday 11 November a round table on the professional support of artists. Luxembourg and international professionals and artists exchanged on these questions from a keynote speech by Nathalie Filser on the condition of the artist today, followed by two round tables on the importance of the critical entourage of artists and on the evolution of residency mechanisms.

Through the implementation of this system, Kultur | lx intends to stimulate circulation and exchanges between the national and foreign scenes. The next focus on visual arts by Kultur | lx  will be held in 2023, the whole team is already looking forward to it and would like to thank the Luxembourg artists and professionals who have contributed to these days with their commitment and professionalism.

Kultur | lx goes on with its “next step” workshops, initiated in 2021. These are supposed to offer artists and professionals from Luxembourg a training dedicated to jazz and improvised music in numerous territories of the world, this edition will include the French market on November 22nd and 26th.

This workshop will be designed and hosted by Christiane Louis, Head of the career development unit at the Cité de la musique-Philharmonie de Paris. After Master studies in Literature and Information sciences, Christiane Louis began a career in the field of social science research as Head of Documentation Department for public research centres. In 1996, she joined the Cité de la musique to lead and develop the musical information services. The current “Pôle métiers de la musique” offers a wealth of information via the dedicated website, and personalised advice or guidance on the artistic and cultural environment.

Since 2005, she has been leading a professionalization programme for musicians at the Cité de la musique-Philharmonie de Paris. It focuses on the initiation and implementation of an artistic and cultural project, and more broadly, on the development of a musical career in relation to the socio-economic environment and the expectations of cultural policies. Over the past ten years, its expertise in the professionalization of musicians has been asserted in the musical sector. The “Pôle métiers” is involved in various professional workshops in conservatories, music academies or universities, and conducts training activities with professional support structures for musicians.

This training will be structured into two part and will be centred around Shuffle, the Luxembourgish jazz showcase festival. The first session will take place online and will prepare the participants to present their projects in an export perspective, taking French specificities into account. The second session will consist in a theoretical session, and a round-table in which French jazz professionals will offer their point of view. At the end of the workshop, participants should have practical advice and tools taking local specificities into account.

The workshop will be held in French.
Register here.

Day 1 – Tuesday, November 22nd
How to pitch a project and network in France –Online

10h – 12h: Tools and good practices to “pitch” your project in France |

Day 2 – Saturday, November 26th
How to tour in France

neimënster Abbey – in person

11h-12h: A panorama of touring in France | Introduction and session hosted by Christiane Louis

12h-13h: Round-table – Booking mecanisms in France

Tiphanie Moreau, Head of touring and external relations, Orchestre national de jazz ; Gilles Gauthier, General Manager, Jazzus ; Antoine Bos, General secretary.

 

The speakers

Tiphanie Moreau, Orchestre national de jazz
Tiphanie Moreau is the Head of touring and external relations for the Orchestre national de jazz. Beforehand, she was in charge of touring for several jazz and improvised music bands in France (Papanoh, Ping Machine, les Musiques à Ouïr…). For 5 years, she also coordinated the Jazz Migration Programme carried by the French network AJC, a programme that aims to support and promote French emerging jazz bands.

Gilles Gauthier, Jazzus Productions
Antoine Bos, Association Jazzécroisé

Zala & Val Kravos Piano Duet

This album follows Zala Kravos’ first album, recorded in 2017. This new project is based on the long-term collaboration between Zala Kravos and her brother Val as a piano duet. Since their youngest age, both pianists regularly perform together, also on the international scale. This album features a wide range of repertoires that reveal the technical and performing qualities of the duo, notably through Schubert’s Fantasia in F Minor, considered as a monument in the field of four-hands piano repertoire. The album ends with a contemporary piece by the French composer Françoise Choveaux, showing the taste of Zala and Val for the unexpected and the experimentation.

Complete programme:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata in D Minor KV 381 (123a)
Franz Schubert, Fantasia in F Minor D 940
Georges Bizet, Children’s Games Op. 22
Françoise Choveaux, Poem Op. 269

Available on Ars Production in November. Physical release on November 4th, Digital release on November 18th.

Daniel Migliosi : Left on scene – newcomer jazz

Daniel Migliosi, a trumpet player from Luxembourg’s new generation of jazz, will release his first album Left on scene, recorded with musicians he met during his studies in Cologne and which pays tribute to the hard-bop tradition: “The musicans who took part in this album are friends, Daniel explains “In 2020 we were still able to do a lot together despite Corona. We jammed, hung out a lot and got to know each other really well.”. The result of this artistic friendship is an album that includes some hidden pop elements. Indeed, what matters to Daniel is to attract the attention of jazz amateurs, but also those who might not be familiar with this type of music.

Release on November 4th on Mons Records.