Pierre Van Dormael
guitar, composition

Pierre Van Dormael is a musician of many talents. At ease in pop music, for which he wrote several songs, as well as in jazz, he is considered a pioneer in various musical forms and experiments.
He has become an influential figure for a whole generation of young musicians such as saxophonist Fabrizio CASSOL, electric bassist Michel HATZIGEORGIOU and drummer Stéphane GALLAND (a trio that later became AKA MOON), when he founded with them the mythic band NASA NA BAND.
In '88, he got involved in the "James BALDWIN Project", with a.o. vocalists David LINX and Deborah BROWN, trombone player Slide HAMPTON, pianist Diederik WISSELS, tuba player Bob STEWART, bassist Michel HATZIGEORGIOU, etc.
A CD illustrates this event : "A Lover's Question" (Crépuscule-JVC Victor/Label Bleu CD LBLC 6607).

Pierre VAN DORMAEL also was co-founder of the original L'AME DES POETES, with saxophonist Pierre VAIANA and bassist Jean-Louis RASSINFOSSE. He recorded with them the CDs "L'AME DES POETES" (Igloo igl 097) and "L'ETE INDIEN" (Igloo igl 113).

Other musical experiences include a.o. duos with guitarists Philip CATHERINE and Kevin MULLIGAN, or playing with Marc LELANGUE etc...

The brother of Belgian film director Jaco VAN DORMAEL, he wrote several film scores for him, a.o. for his very successful "Toto le Héros" and "Le huitième jour", two movies that received international recognition.

He spent some time teaching music in Africa (Senegal), where he made new experiments of combinations of his distinctive guitar style with African musicians and instruments.
In '97, he recorded an album with kora player Soriba KOUATE and bassist Otti VAN DER WERF : "DJIGUI"

Recently, his path crossed his old friends musicians of AKA MOON, with whom he recorded as a guest the CDs : GANESH (Carbon 7 C7 026) GUITARS (Werf 031).

He also appears on the album "Tribu" of French trombone player Geoffroy DE MASURE, released in 2001.

In 2001, Pierre VAN DORMAEL presents a new album, titled "VIVACES".

In 2005, he is one of the guitarists to be part of the Philip Catherine Guitar orchestra, and he writes and records with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra the soundtrack for the French movie "Essaye-moi".

In 2006, he also presents on a cd his music written for the band Octurn.

In 2007, he receives the Belgian Django d'Or award in the category "confirmed musician".

He died from cancer on September 3, 2008.

Read Pierre's interview (in French) on the citizenjazz.com site.

Pierre Van Dormael's page on My Space