JASS
Baptiste Herbin
Photo credit: © Alain Fontana
"Baptiste Herbin does not intend to succeed anyone, nor to eclipse anyone, but simply to play better than everyone and himself" - Michel Contat, Télérama, November 2012
"The beauty of the sound of the saxophone is undoubtedly the first quality that jumps out at the ear, the astonishing volubility and technical mastery of its playing is obvious with the simple obviousness of an undoubted talent" - Jean-Pierre Jackson, Classica, November 2012Nominated to Victoires du Jazz in 2013 thanks to his first album, Brother Stoon, Baptiste Herbin has recorded with great musicians: the records of Keith Brown (Sweet and Lovely Space Time Records 2011), Aldo Romano (New Blood: the connection, Dreyfus 2012), Essiet Essiet and Jeff "Tain Watts" (Shona, Space Time 2014) the Fireworks quartet with Jean-Charles Richard, Stéphane Guillaume and Vincent David (2015).
He plays all over the world (Thailand, United States, Italy, Madagascar, England, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland...) and plays with the greatest musicians: Glenn Ferris, Alain Jean-Marie, Ralph Bowen, Donald Brown, Kenny Garrett, Jean Toussaint, Mark Gross, Steve Wilson, James Carter, Gary Smulyan, Marcus Gilmore, Stéphane Belmondo, Archie Shepp, Jean-Michel Pilc, Darryl Hall, Franck Avitabile, Pierrick Pédron, Julien Lourau, Enrico Rava, Eric Legnini, Baptiste Trotignon, Billy Hart, Michael Cheret, Jerry Bergonzi, Stefano Di Battista…
Originally from Chartres, he learnt saxophone with Jean-Louis Mounier, then jazz with Julien Lourau and Jean-Jacques Rulhmann, then Jean-Charles Richard. After graduating from the CNSM in Riccardo Del Fra's jazz class, he met André Ceccarelli in 2010 during his residency at the Duc des Lombards, who took him to the studio to record his first quartet album, Brother Stoon, with Pierre de Bethmann, Sylvain Romano, as well as Jean Toussaint and Dimitri Dourantonis as guests. He opened for Dionne Warwick at the Olympia in November 2012 in a duet with Pierre de Bethmann to present this first album, which was a great success. His second quintet album, Interférences, was released in 2015, with Benjamin Henocq, Maxime Fougères, Sylvain Romano and Renaud Gensane.
Baptiste is also a teacher, and gives master classes all over the world. His music and playing are influenced by Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Ornette Coleman, Maceo Parker, John Coltrane, Malagasy music, but also classical composers such as Debussy, Ravel and Bach.
“In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.”