Grégoire Maret & Jazz Station Big Band

Since 2006, the Jazz Station Big Band has been in residence at the Brussels club Jazz Station. Led by saxophonist Stéphane Mercier, the band annually invites both Belgian and international musicians such as Jason Rebello (Sting), Emil Viklicky (Wynton Marsalis) or Grégoire Maret (Herbie Hancock). Maret is also the chief guest during this tribute to Toots Thielemans. This brilliant harmonica player played at the 2017 Dinant Jazz Festival together with Toots, who was a mentor to him. 'Always play with your heart, even as a virtuoso', Toots told him, an advice Maret still carries with him today. This alliance between Grégoire Maret and the Jazz Station Big Band led by Stéphane Mercier certainly evokes the great live moments of Toots Thielemans' musical career but also offers the opportunity to listen to modern jazz. Incisive interventions of the harmonica are marvelously encrusted in the shining orchestral mass of a very tight ensemble. Pierre Dulieu – Dragonjazz