CRISTAL RECORDS / David Linx

Today living in Paris, David Linx is a composer, lyricist, producer and multi-instrumentalist, born on March 22, 1965 in Brussels. In 2025, he'll celebrate his 60th birthday, crowning a career dedicated to music for more than four decades, in particular jazz, a genre for which he is recognized as one of Europe's most distinctive voices. From his early teens, Linx was influenced by major jazz figures, particularly American drummer Kenny Clarke, whom he met through his godfather Nathan Davis and lived with in Paris. This connection marked the beginning of his international career, in which he has collaborated with such renowned musicians as DiederikWissels, Paolo Fresu, Maria João, Clark Terry, Kenny Wheeler, Mark Murphy, Johnny Griffin, Roy Ayers, Tigran Hamasyanand Ran Blake, to name but a few. We can't mention David Linx without referring to his love of poetry and the album “A Lover's Question” he produced with his friend, writer, poet and African-American activist James Baldwin, in 1986.

A prolific artist, David Linx has released numerous albums that testify to his creativity and musical openness. His compositions are characterized by profound lyrics and a sophisticated vocal approach. His most notable works include albums such as “Up Close” (with DiederikWissels), “A Lover's Question”, “Follow the Songlines”, and “Be My Guest”. In 2019, he received a Victoire du Jazz award for his album “Skin in the Game”, confirming his status as a key player on the international jazz scene. In 2017, David Linx received the Prix Octave d'Honneurin Belgium for his entire career, the Prix Edison for the best album of 2017 (Brel with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra) and numerous awards in France: Prix Charles Cros, Prix de l'Académie du Jazz, Victoires du Jazz, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.

As he celebrates his 60th birthday, David Linx chooses to affirm sensitivity as a strength--30 years after “Up Close” with his prophetic piano-voice infusing the opening song “I Tell My Heart”. What a beautiful constancy from someone, who we must realize is a pioneer on the European continent.

In “Real Men Cry”, where he excels as an accomplished songwriter, David Linx continues his exchanges with a trio of tightrope walkers: Grégory Privat, Chris Jennings and Arnaud Dolmen. The fabulous trumpeter Hermon Mehari joins the adventure to form a solid, high-flying quintet.

Album Presentation

To celebrate his 60th birthday, David Linx presents REAL MEN CRY.

“This new album is the logical follow-up to Skin In The Game, released in 2021. It is the result of collaboration with the magnificent musicians who accompany me, leaders of their own projects, such as Grégory Privat on piano, Chris Jennings on double bass, Arnaud Dolmen on drums and Hermon Mehari on trumpet. As with “Skin In The Game”, in addition to my own lyrics and compositions, I wanted to give a place to my friends Youceff Boukella (7), Diederik Wissels (9), Mario Laginha (10) and Grégory Privat (12). It's always very important for me to insist on the fact that you can talk about today's world as a contemporary jazz singer, without any stylistic nostalgia. Tradition is always the backbone on which we can rely to convey a message of current relevance.” - David Linx

Alex Dutilh's words on the REAL MEN CRY album.

If the title “You’ll Always Be Tomorrow” evokes James Baldwin, it was the latter’s mother who repeated to David Linx “Stay in the Light!”the title he ultimately gave to the composition of the founding bassist of the National Orchestra of Barbès, Youcef Boukella. They had collaborated together on an album that remained in draft form following David's departure from Polydor. The four compositions adapted from his instrumentalist friends – “Stay in the Light” by Youcef Boukella, “This Saturday Song” by Diederik Wissels, “Brooklyn” by Mario Laginha and “I'm Breathing out for the First Time” by Grégory Privat - evoke distinctive colors and heights, almost as if creating sonic architecture for the album.

For “Brooklyn”, the first name of the daughter of a friend of David's, plays on ambiguity with the name of the New York borough. The reference to lace in the song holds a feminine connotation and refers to the interlaced architecture of the famous Brooklyn Bridge. With “Half Past Gone”, David Linx turns his back on the lightness and ease often associated with vocal jazz, to rediscover the demands of the work he carried out with Diederik Wissels, Ran Blake or Marc Ducret. Their collaboration was fueled by the motto “Don’t complicate what’s simple and don’t simplify what’s complex”. For “Resolution Chant”, with its nod to Pat Metheny's "American Garage" and "From This Place", David Linx discovers a dirty, raw to the first-degree side, which offers an alternative to the sophistication of crossed lines. Once again, David Linx’s tendency to question himself is demonstrated in his late entrance in “The Growing Stone.” Inspired by a short story by Albert Camus, David Linx enters late to leave all his luminosity for the instrumental quartet.

Retrouver le texte complet d’Alex Dutilh à l’intérieur du livret de l’album « Real Men Cry ».

Line up

David Linx: vocals

Grégort Privat: piano

Chris Jennings: double basse

Arnaud Dolmen: drums

Hermon Mehari: trumpett

Promo Contact

Generalist Media - Radio / Press / TV
Juliette Poitrenaud | Nardis Agency

juliettepoitrenaud@gmail.com

+33 (0)6 30 80 02 62

Upcoming concerts

20/11/2024 - Bielefeld (Allemagne) / Rudolf Oetker Halle

06/02/2025 - Beuzeville (27 - France) / La Cidrerie

20/03/2025 - Bielefeld (Allemagne) / Rudolf Oetker Halle

22/03/2025 - Bruxelles (Belgique) / Jazz Station – Concert de sortie d’album

27/03/2025 - Paris (75 - France) / Studio de l’Ermitage – Concert de sortie d’album

28/03/2025 - Lausanne (Suisse) - Concert de sortie d’album

25/07/2025 - Dinant (Belgique) / Dinant Jazz Festival

13/09/2025 - Verviers (Belgique)