Martin Salemi – Pianist/Composer
Welcome to the website of Belgian pianist and composer Martin Salemi. Here you can find tour dates, pictures, videos, discography, press reviews, scores and music. Thank you for your visit !
Martin Salemi is an eclectic musician and prolific composer, an in-demand pianist and bandleader in constant search of true honesty in every note he plays.
He has brought his own music to stages all across Europe and was described on national radio RTBF as « a beautiful example of what jazz can be today: a music nourished by all musics, free of yesterday’s constraints ». (Laurent Graulus – Musiq3)
Released in 2017, ‘Short Stories’, his first trio album with the IGLOO Records jazz label, was critically and publicly acclaimed – « There’s some Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett in this young musician (…) a knock out » (Le Soir ***), « I really can’t praise this album highly enough (…) Get it! » (Lynn René Bayley, US). In 2018, he won first prize at the B-Jazz International Contest – « What a good band! They sound beautiful ». He has recorded three albums with the funk-power band OPMOC and has toured extensively, playing the keyboards on Europe’s biggest stages and festivals.
His second trio album, ‘About Time’, released in Autumn 2021, was considered an « instant classic » by Philippe Baron – RTBF and got a 4-star review in Jazz Magazine (FR). « Always of great accuracy and astonishing musicality (…). To listen to and re-listen to until you lose all sense of time. (…). Discover without delay! » (Brigitte Mahaux – Musiq3)
Besides his work as a leader, Martin Salemi is also very much in demand as a sideman. Notably, he regularly explores the standard repertoire with Italian double bass phenomenon Manolo Cabras and young Belgian rising star Gaspard Sicx in the Salemi/Cabras/Sicx trio.
He also plays the keyboards in the Belgian band Otto Kintet who, since 2016, have released three albums – « One thing is certain: this music is of an immense beauty » (Dani Heyvaert – Rootstime).
A prolific composer, Martin Salemi also writes music for the theatre and the cinema. Among others, he has worked with the likes of the German theatre collective Rimini Protokoll, the Belgian film-maker Luc Jabon and the Domya, La Berlue and L’Anneau theatre companies.
« … There’s nothing cryptic about his superb playing… » Jim Gilchrist – The Scotsman (UK).
Pro-active member of the Brussels music community, he launched in 2021 the ambitious “Muzik1030 Bar” project in his municipality of Schaerbeek. Aiming to revitalise the cultural and catering sectors, he set up a financial and logistical aid programme to assist with the organisation of concerts in local bars. A great success from the start, the project made the headlines in the regional and national press and, in the space of a year, made possible the organisation of over 180 concerts in the cafés of Schaerbeek, providing work for over 600 musicians. The project, supported by the municipality, has been relaunched for three years, and other Brussels municipalities are now trying to draw inspiration from it.
« Beautiful melodies and superb trio work […] An instant classic »
Philippe Baron – RTBF Musiq3, about “About Time” (2021)
« A partir d’un matériau d’une grande simplicité, sans recherche d’effets ni de ruptures, le sens du récit et la qualité du son d’ensemble emportent l’adhésion »
Vincent Cotro – Jazz Magazine – 4 étoiles (FR), about “About Time” (2021)
« Toujours d’une justesse et d’une musicalité étonnante […] Il s’écoute et se réécoute à en perdre toute notion du temps […] A découvrir sans plus attendre ! »
Brigitte Mahaux – RTBF Musiq3 about “About Time” (2021)
« Les plages s’enchaînent et coulent avec intelligence dans une fausse simplicité en nous entraînant dans de nouveaux paysages toujours recommencés […] About Time est une production cohérente au naturel léger mais plein d’élan et construite comme une œuvre classique : tout y est mélodie, calme et ravissement, propice à la réflexion, un album que l’on sent inspiré par les idées élévatrices d’une belle humanité. »
Pierre Dulieu – DragonJazz (disque du mois, Sélection Best Of 2021) about “About Time“
« Het spel van Salemi is echter van zulk hoog niveau, zowel emotievol als speltechnisch, en de samenwerking tussen hem en de ritmesectie zo fijn, dat dit trio net zo gemakkelijk tussen al die vernieuwende Belgische bands internationaal grote indruk kan maken. »
Dick Hovenga – WrittenInMusic
« I really can’t praise this album highly enough. If the reader gets the feeling from the above review that I didn’t quite describe Salemi’s playing in enough detail, it is only because there is so much detail that it’s better to just listen and not analyze too much. Get it! »
Lynn René Bayley, Artmusiclounge (US), about “Short Stories” (2017)
« Ca fait du bien d’écouter un album de jazz contemporain qui ne cherche pas à tout prix des sonorités inouïes […] La musique est fraîche, joyeuse, dansante »
Jean-Claude Vantroyen, Le Soir ***, about “Short Stories” (2017)
« Van begin tot einde zuiver akoestisch zonder electronics en toch klopte het plaatje. Respect! »
Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz’ Halo about “Short Stories” (2017)
« Les compositions du leader sont toutes délectables. Non seulement, elles ont du caractère mais, ni démonstratives ni appliquées, elles sont aussi mémorables par leur côté mélodieux »
Pierre Dulieu, Dragonjazz, about “Short Stories” (2017)
« Martin Salemi est un bel exemple de ce que peut être le jazz aujourd’hui: une musique qui se nourrit de toutes les musiques, libérée de ses carcans d’autrefois. »
Laurent Graulus, RTBF Musiq3
« On est très loin d’un jazz cérébral et hermétique […] Ce sont des mélodies qui accrochent tout de suite, sans tomber non plus dans la facilité. C’est délicat, ça swingue, tout en finesse […] absolument remarquable. »
Xavier Vanbuggenhout, RTBF La Première, about “Short Stories” (2017)
© pictures from top to bottom : Cindy De Kuyper, Patrick Clerens, Erwin Van Rillaer, Vincent Blairon
Next Concerts
Here you can find my upcoming tour dates. Hope to see you there!
More infos about schedule, line-up and a list of past concerts on the concert page.
• 02/04/2023 – Raphaël Aurand Quartet – The Music Village – Brussels, Belgium
• 07/04/2023 – Jordi Grognard Quartet – La Laiterie – Brussels, Belgium
• 11/05/2023 – Oscar Georges Quartet – The Music Village – Brussels, Belgium
• 13/05/2023 – Salemi/Defoort/Rahola/De Waele – Cidrothèque – Brussels, Belgium
• 14/05/2023 – Samir Barris & Martin Salemi – Mus’ici Festival – Brussels, Belgium
• 04/06/2023 – Martin Salemi Trio – 100BAN – Kobe, Japan
• 06/06/2023 – Martin Salemi Trio – Jazz Spot Layla – Himeji, Japan
• 07/06/2023 – Martin Salemi Trio – Livehouse Bird – Okayama, Japan
• 09/06/2023 – Martin Salemi Trio – Star Eyes – Nagoya, Japan
• 10/06/2023 – Martin Salemi Trio – Mark VI Mejiro – Tokyo, Japan
• 15/06/2023 – Misha Mendelenko Quartet – The Music Village – Brussels, Belgium
• 17/06/2023 – Misha Mendelenko Quartet – The Sounds – Brussels, Belgium
• 22/06/2023 – Misha Mendelenko Quartet – Baixu – Brussels, Belgium
• 15/07/2023 – Martin Salemi Trio – Jammin’ Juan – Juan-Les-Pins, France
• 17/11/2023 – Stéphanie Bertrand Quartet – Abbaye de Bellingen – Pepingen , Belgium
News
📸 Cool pic of Manolo and me during the last gig at l’An Vert with Daniel Stokart Quartet:)
Picture by Robert Hansenne
Playing along Jacob do Bandolim this morning☀️✨
Trying to emulate his phrasing over the choro groove:) #workinprogress
#choro #jacobdobandolim #docedecoco #pianosolo
P6 with arpeggiator and D6 with wah pedal 🤪☀️✨
#prophet6 #clavinetd6 #synth #keyboards #vintagekeyboards
Just went 3 days at the Jet Studio to record my next album with my new band Daylight:) featuring Sylvain Debaisieux on sax, Lorenzo Di Maio on the guitar, Boris Schmidt on doublebass and Daniel Jonkers on drums. More infos soon:) ☀️✨🤪
Pictures by Vincent Blairon
#martinsalemidaylight #jetstudio #jazzinbelgium
🎹🎹✨🎵
#clavinet #clavinetd6 #prophet6 #keyboardsolo #synthporn #vibanet
Brassens 🖤
#georgesbrassens #levieuxleon #pianosolo #pianomusic
Last Wednesday was our first gig as a quintet with my band Daylight, with Lorenzo Di Maio on the guitar joining us:) We are going in studio next week to record an album, can’t wait !:) 💿🎵☀️
@sylvaindebaisieux on sax, @borisschmidtmusic on doublebass and #danieljonkers on drums 🤗
Picture by Dominique Bauduin
@igloorecords @debastvincent @themusicvillage #martinsalemidaylight
Keith Jarrett on "I Love You" (Cole Porter)
4 minutes of 🔥🔥🔥🤪 full transcription is on YouTube:) with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette from the album « The Out-Of-Towners »
#transcription #keithjarrett #pianosolo #jazzpiano #pianotranscription #solotranscription #keithjarretttrio #coleporter #practice
The one and only Keith Jarrett on "I Love You" (Cole Porter), from "The Out-Of-Towners" with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette ✨
4 minutes of straight fire 🔥🔥
Took me a few months to transcribe and to be able to play it:)
#transcription #jazzsolo #keithjarrett #solotranscription #jazzpiano #pianosolo #transcribing #practice #iloveyoucoleporter #keithjarretttrio
