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.