Laurent Melnyk

Laurent Melnyk


Raised by a music-lover, Laurent Melnyk was introduced to music from his earliest childhood and began to learn guitar as well as Indian and African percussions.

He graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels (graphic arts and illustration) and continues his musical learning by moving towards classical guitar, composition, jazz as well as computer music.

A few years later it was mainly in jam sessions that he stood out, encouraged in his progress by Belgian Jazzmen such as Peter Hertmans, Paolo Radonni, Pierre Vandormael, Bo Vanderwerf, Stéphane Mercier among others.

Thanks to which he integrates more and more the Belgian jazz community and the world of "live" music and art in general by attending and participating in numbers of cultural gatherings, especially musical ones.

He began to perform in Belgium in number of jazz clubs and festivals as well as abroad (cross-border countries) with different bands including his main at the time :

"Où cours-je ?" (Belgian poly-rhythmic modern jazz collective),
"Laurent Melnyk Trio" (LM3),
"Laurent Melnyk Quartette" (LM4)
"A Tone For Two" (Jazz Duo with Bruno Grollet or Vincent Thékal on sax).
Most of his time was then devoted to composition as well as his jazz trio and quartet.
The band "Silent Teachings" was then founded.
Project representing modern poly-rhythmic jazz (in reverence to Andy Milne, Steve Coleman, Pierre Van Dormael, Aka moon, Octurn, Geoffroy De Masure to quote the best known) which he shares with Michel Vrydag (basses) and Kris Duerinckx (drums).
Trio under the sign of collaboration in terms of both artistic direction and composition.

He is also Side Man in other bands continuing his musical exploration by starting more soul, groove, hip hop and afro pop projects.
This led him to work on Beat Making, live guitar + beat box with a MC or instrumental soloist band format, artistic direction, collaborations and performances with different singers.

He was called upon tours in Asia with different pop/cover bands.
He left for Malaysia, the Maldives and Indonesia for several months. At the same time going towards musical production strictly speaking, working on his own creations during the day and performing in clubs at night.

All these experiences outside the world of jazz will lead him to re-tame, his own foundations.

Currently he tours with his trio in Europe, composes and continues to assist, punctually, his guitar students.
Musical influences :
From modern swing of Hard Bop descent, neo bop, with composers such as Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane as the spearhead to more contemporary and rhythmic jazz like Steve Coleman Five Elements, Andy Milne's Dapp Theory, M-Base Collective, Alex Sipiagin, Octurn, Pierre Van Dormael Vivaces, Antoine Prawerman Vegetal Beauty, Geoffroy De Masure Bz Puck, Dave Holland Quintet, Chris Potter Underground, Adam Rogers Quartet, Tygran Amasyam, Robert Glasper Experience, Hiatus Kayote…)

Bands

Past events