Alexandre Cavalière
Alexandre Cavaliere was born in 1985 near Mons in Belgium. He was born into a musical family, surrounded by musical instruments. Even at this early age Alexandre begins to develop his sense of rhythm, playing the snare drum in his father’s orchestra. At 8 years he has already began to master the piano, drums, and of course, the violin, but it is in this last instrument that Alexandre will best expresses his senses of rhythm, his qualities of improvisation, and his great musical sensitivity. Rocked by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli’s melodies, musical swing is obvious for Alexandre.
In March 1998, fate helps Alexandre along, placing Didier Lockwood and Babik Reinhardt in his path: ” These two great musicians are in Brussels for Django d’Or celebration while he is rehearsing for an evening at the Royal Hotel Windsor with his father, who directs the band Jazzy Strings. A few notes are sufficient for Didier Lockwood, Babik Reinhardt and Frank Hagège to detect the talent in the hands of the violinist. What a surprise they have, when, pushing the door of the club open, they discover a 12-year-old child holding the violin.! ” Astonished at the amount of virtuosity in one so young, they decide to invite Alexandre to Django d’ Or, Brussels, and then Paris, where success is immediate … It is the beginning of a beautiful adventure from which “L’ALBUM ” is born (Hébra records).
This young violin virtuoso quickly fulfills his potential. While keeping up his studies, Alexandre moves from television, to radio stations and concerts where his performances shine at various Festivals as Antibes- Juan-les-Pins, Marciac, Samois-sur-Seine, Liege, Liberchies, Gaûme, Maubeuge, the jazz marathon of Brussels, the Belgians Golden Django, French, and at the Eurojazz Awards… Moreover, he has won over his public with performances at the princess Grâce of Monaco theatre, at Michel Jonasz concert in Olympia, as guest of the National Orchestra at the “Great Place” in Brussels, the festival ” Espoo Jazz ” (Finland)… and finally, thanks to Dorado Schmitt, his performance of “première in New York, for the Django Reinhardt festival at BIRDLAND.
Alexandre has also met many musicians, such as Bireli Lagrene, Dominique Dipiazza, Stochelo Rosenberg, Michel Jonasz, Roby Lakatos, Toots Thielemans, Richard Galliano, Eddy Louis, Dennis Chambers, Richard Bona, Dorado Schmitt … and also Benoit Sourisse, André Charlier and Jean Wellers (musicians of Didier Lockwood) with whom he recorded his second album ” NOMADES “, and in which he appears in a more modern context than usual, but always faithful to his natural swinging feel.
Other recent meetings and collaborations include his playing with the jazz teachers of the Brussels Conservatory, an appearance on one track of the latest Guy Cabay album and collaborations with Philip Catherine, fusion bands like Alka Celtes Air, Darwin Case and Musicazur, Fabrizio Cassol, Michel Herr and his tentet, etc….
Alexandre Cavaliere and Jazzy Strings, the band in which he is mostly involved, is a band in love with gipsy music, and two giants of jazz music, Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grapelli. This group, created by Mario Cavaliere, have performed, since 1992, in the greatest festivals of Europe (Juan-the-Pines, Nice, Marciac, the Samois-on-Seine, Helsinki…). The band: Mathieu Chatelain on rhythmic guitar, Eloi Baudimont or Jean Wellers on the double bass and of course Mario Cavaliere as the solo guitarist, gave his son Alexandre access into the closed circle of the jazz world …
Jazzy strings have also performed with many prestigious guests, such as Samson and Dorado Schmitt, Angelo Debarre, Bireli Lagrene…and currently Rene Sopa.
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