Steve Houben (born 19 March 1950 in

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

) is a Belgian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist and flutist.

Biography

In the mid-1970s, Houben attended the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

in Boston. When he returned to Belgium, he established the jazz seminar at the

conservatory, in association with

Henri Pousseur Henri Léon Marie-Thérèse Pousseur (; 23 June 1929 – 6 March 2009) was a Belgian classical composer, teacher, and music theorist. Biography Pousseur was born in Malmedy and studied at the Academies of Music in Liège and in Brussels from 19 ...

. In his long career he played with Joe Newman,

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist. He first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts, notably as a participant ...

Toots Thielemans Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans (), was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for playing the chromatic harmonica, as well as his guitar and wh ...

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

Mike Stern Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummer Billy Cobham, then with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, re ...

George Coleman George Edward Coleman (born March 8, 1935) is an American jazz saxophonist known for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s. In 2015, he was named an NEA Jazz Master. Early life Coleman was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He was ...

, and

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, pianist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing t ...

. He won the Belgian

Golden Django The Golden Django, named after guitarist Django Reinhardt, is an award for jazz musicians in Europe created by the French producer Frank Hagège. The trophy is a creation of the French painter Raymond Moretti. It was first introduced in France ( ...

in 2000 for best Belgian artist (first winner of the new category). Houben was one of the first musicians to see the potential of the singer Melanie De Biasio, inviting her to perform at several concerts and a tour of Russia. He also appeared on her first album, "A Stomach is Burning". He currently teaches jazz saxophone at the

Brussels conservatory The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (, ) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Providing performing music and drama courses, the institution became renowned par ...

Discography

*1980: ''Chet Baker & Steve Houben'' ( 52e Rue Est) *1994: ''Blue Circumstances'' *1995: ''Songs by Gershwin & Porter'' *2000: ''Le Saxophone et le Jazz'' *2007: ''Un Ange Passe'' *2011: ''Darker Scales'' with Boyan Vodenitcharov *2017: ''Comptines'' (re-release of a 1982 album with pianist Charles Loos)

References

External links

Steve Houben Quartet at Jazz Bez 2014
at

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houben, Steve Musicians from Liège 1950 births Living people Belgian jazz musicians Belgian male jazz musicians Berklee College of Music alumni Belgian jazz saxophonists Academic staff of the Royal Conservatory of Liège Academic staff of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium Walloon people 21st-century Belgian saxophonists Igloo Records artists