Official biography published on social media (June 16, 2017).
Antoine Pierre group was born between two stages of this young drummerÂ’s life. On one hand, thereÂ’s Brussels, where Antoine has finished his master degree at the Royal Conservatory and, on the other hand, thereÂ’s New York, where he settled in September 2014.
Antoine Pierre Group invites us to rediscover existing pieces of music but also, for the first time, Antoine presents us his own compositions. Beside him, three horn players, a pianist, a percussionist, a guitarist and a bassist. The leader could allow his imagination free rein in his compositions with exploiting the potentials offered by the acoustic and electric instruments. As a lover of metropolitan areas, he creates urban universes, sometimes energetic and sometimes apocalyptic. His inspirations are numerous: Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, Aka Moon,Â… but also Haitian and Senegalese music. This project is an academic point of arrival resembling a starting point in Antoine PierreÂ’s musician lifeÂ…
After a childhood spent on listening to the records of his parents, blowing into a saxophone and banging on washing powder packs, Antoine Pierre started playing the drums at the age of 12.
Eager to turn the noises he produced into music, he consulted his elders: a.o. Stéphane Galland, Antonio Sanchez, Bill Stewart, Dan Weiss, Greg Hutchinson,...
In 2008, together with musicians such as Igor Gehenot, he created the Metropolitan Laboratory, a band that he brought to multiple festivals such as Jazz à Liège Festival, Dima Jazz Festival (Algeria) and Comblain Jazz Festival where the band won the Young Talent Award.
As he turned 18 in 2010, Antoine Pierre joined the regular band of Belgian guitar legend Philip Catherine which allowed him to tour extensively in various important leading jazz venues and festivals in Europe and abroad such as the Blue Note Jazz Club (Milano, IT), Le Duc des Lombards (Paris, FR), New Morning (Paris, FR), Palais des Beaux-Arts (Brussels, BE), The Grand Theater (Maastricht, NL), De Bimhuis (Amsterdam, NL), Tel Aviv Jazz Festival (Tel Aviv, IL), Bern International Jazz Festival (Bern, CH), Alger Jazz Festival (Algiers, DZ), Django Rheinardt Jazz Festival (Paris, FR) a.o.
In 2014, Antoine and bassist Nicolas Thys joined the brand new band formed by dEUS frontman Tom Barman and saxophonist Robin Verheyen. Together they released in 2015 a first record on major label Universal under the name of Taxiwars. The band has been touring intensively in Europe and is in the process of recording a second album.
Since 2010, Antoine has been having the honor to perform with world-class musicians such as Philip Catherine, Philippe Aerts, Enrico Pieranunzi, Didier Lockwood, Jacky Terrasson, Stéphan Belmondo, Tom Barman, Robin Verheyen, Frank Vignola, Tim Armacost, Perico Sambeat, Jean-Paul Estiévenart, Nic Thys, Steve Houben, Toine Thys,...
In 2014, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Master degree from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Antoine moved to New York to study at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and to play with musicians of the local jazz scene.
Now back in Brussels, Antoine Pierre released his first record "URBEX" as a leader on Belgian label IGLOO Records.
He is active on the music scene as a sideman as well in projects such as TaxiWars, Toine Thys trio, Jean-Paul Estiévenart trio, LG Jazz Collective, Alain Pierre Tree-Ho!, David Thomaere trio, Lorenzo Di Maio Group.