Michel Herblin
Jazz and Melodies
(This artist performs in duo and quartet)
Draught sculptor
Recognized with a double gold medal at the Detroit World Championships (USA) in 1991 (“melodies” and “jazz-blues”), this self-taught musician has frequently ventured outside the singularity of his own repertoire.
He shared the stage with a myriad of confirmed fresh and international artists, among which Bill Deraime, Patrick Verbeke, Klaus Blasquiz and Magma, Bill Thomas, The Bunch, Luther Allison and Catherine Sauvage.
CD: "The Melodist" (2021)
With “The Melodist” (Label Hautbois Dormant), Michel Herblin once again offers elegant and lyrical music that melts in the ear like a kiss. Eleven instrumental compositions that caress the soul and cuddle the heart, between country, jazz, blues, boogie, medieval melodies and sailor songs.
Surrounded by Guillaume Wilmot (keyboards, accordions), Philippe Pouchard (guitars), Benoît Demuynck (bass) and Philippe Eliez (drums), Herblin delivers with his twirling harmonica “instrumental songs” that one is surprised to hum from the first listening.
The master paints, seemingly effortlessly and with light and airy touches, a sound fresco with shimmering colors, offering us a singular moment of escape, alive and fresh in a garden of effervescence and fantasy.
Audio: "Isn't she lovely" (Stevie Wonder - 1976)
Videos available on YouTube…
Michel Herblin: his life, his work...
Michel Herblin: unique !
- The Frenchman developed a unique melodic playing between blues and jazz. (planetharmonica.com, France)
- After a concert, it can take several hours to touch ground again. (Le Journal du Sud-Ouest, France)
- This musician has forged his style at the service of a deep sense of melody. (La Dépêche du Midi, France)
- A maestro of the diatonic harmonica and an in-demand session player. (harmonica.com, Honolulu, USA)
- A giant of the diatonic harmonica ! (SPAH, USA)
- His harmonica screams and caresses, between rage and delicacy. (L’Alsace, France)
- A virtuoso with an extraordinary creativity and sensitivity. (bluemary-swing.com, France)
- Complicity and freshness animate an instinctive playing pleasure ! (Sarlat Cultural Center, France)
- The diatonic harmonica in its simplest elegance. (La Voix du Nord, France)
- A great sensibility, both artistic and human. (City of Luxembourg, Luxembourg)
“Life is like jazz: it’s better when you improvise.” (George Gershwin)