Martin Salemi

Martin Salemi – Pianist/Composer

Welcome to the website of belgian pianist and composer Martin Salemi. Here you can find tour dates, pictures, videos, full discography and music. Thank you for visiting !

Martin Salemi was born in Brussels in 1988. His parents are both artists. His father, who plays the guitar, initiated him to music at a very early age. He started learning the piano aged six and, in 2013, completed his jazz piano master’s degree with distinction at the Koninklijk Conservatorium van Brussel.

Martin is interested in all types of music and in various piano styles and, in addition to jazz piano, he has had the opportunity to experience classical as well as salsa, funk, pop and rock music.
Very early on, in addition to his instrumental work, he developed an interest for composition. He started recording albums very young – first cassettes, then CDs – which he shared with family and friends.

Martin is currently involved in two personal projects. OPMOC, who have already recorded three albums and have toured internationally several times, and the Martin Salemi Trio, who released their first album in 2017 under the Igloo Records label.

In 2018, Martin won the B-Jazz International Award with the Martin Salemi Trio.

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«  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, about “Short Stories” IGLOO Records)

« 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)

«  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 Mad)

«  Van begin tot einde zuiver akoestisch zonder electronics en toch klopte het plaatje. Respect! »
(Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz’ Halo)

« 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)

«  Voici à coup sûr la belle surprise jazz de la rentrée […] Fragrances variées et complètement assumées […] qui révèle un doigté subtil et volubile à la fois »
(Jean-Pierre Goffin, Vers L’Avenir)

«  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, Musiq3)

«  Le jeu est soyeux et chaleureux. Entre la contrebasse qui bat le temps en s’offrant quelques libertés et la batterie qui susurre le tempo, la complicité est parfaite.“
(Jacques Prouvost – Jazzques)

«  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, La Première)

« … There’s nothing cryptic about his superb playing…»
(Jim Gilchrist, The Scotsman)

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Next Concerts

Here you can find my upcoming tour dates. Hope to see you there!

More infos about timing, line-up and a list of past concerts on the concert page.

• 21/03/2020 – Flexible – L’Allumette – Brussels, Belgium cancelled
• 24/03/2020 – Martin Salemi Quartet – Hot Club Gent – Gent, Belgium cancelled
• 25/03/2020 – Arnaud Guichard Quintet – Sounds – Brussels, Belgium cancelled
  
• 27/03/2020 – Gaëtan Casteels Trio – L’Aube Sur Ay – Brussels, Belgium cancelled
  
• 31/03/2020 – Alexandre Hessabi Quartet + Jam Session – The Music Village – Brussels, Belgium cancelled
• 04/04/2020 – Otto Kintet – VK – Brussels, Belgium cancelled
• 08/04/2020 – Arnaud Guichard Quartet – Sounds – Brussels, Belgium cancelled
  
• 12/04/2020 – Théo Zipper Quartet – Pastorius/Hancock Tribute – The Music Village – Brussels, Belgium cancelled
• 29/05/2020 – Stéphanie Bertrand Trio – Flamingo – Brussels, Belgium cancelled
• 30/05/2020 – Stéphanie Bertrand Quartet – Café des Minimes – Brussels, Belgium cancelled
• 31/05/2020 – Martin Salemi Trio – Le Cercle Des Voyageurs – Brussels, Belgium cancelled
• 16/06/2020 – Martin Salemi Quartet + Jam Session – The Music Village – Brussels, Belgium cancelled

“Short Stories” is my first record with my trio. It was released on Igloo Records on 06/10/2017 and features 7 original compositions and 2 covers. With Mike Delaere on doublebass, and Toine Cnockaert on drums.

“OPMOC” is the third album of my band “OPMOC“. I wrote all compositions, arrangements and some of the lyrics. With Jacob Miller on bass and vocals, Maxime Van Eerdewegh on drums, Antoine Lafontaine on trumpet, Bruno Borsu on alto saxophone, Creo Cristoria and Jeroen Capens on tenor saxophone.

“Home Session” is a little recording we made with Gaspard Sicx on drums and Manolo Cabras on doublebass. It features 6 covers of mostly jazz repertoire.

In soundtrack music :

“Boite B” – Babel – theater (2002)

“Mosk” – Théâtre de l’étoile – theater (2006)

“Ne Pas Toucher” – Vincent Blairon – short movie (2010)

“Le Passeur” – Cie Domya, directed by Martin Goossens – theater (2014)

“100% Bruxelles” – Rimini Protokoll, produced by Kunstenfestivaldesarts – theater (2014)

“D’un palace un taudis” – Vincent Blairon – short movie ( 2018)

“2h14” – Cie La P’tite Canaille, directed by Manon Coppée – theater (2018)

“Simon Pleure” – Sergio Guataquira Sarmiento – short movie (2018)

“Bruxelles-Brussel, Une Traversée Urbaine” – Luc Jabon – documentary (2019)

“Mon P’tit Coco” – Cie La Berlue/Cie l’Anneau, directed by Ariane Buhbinder – theater (2019)