BIOGRAPHY

David Linx has recorded over 25 solo albums as leader and/or co-leader and besides his own projects he is a frequent guest in the jazz circuit and also giving masterclasses in renownded conservatories worldwide.

Among his most acclaimed works as a leader are:
– Be My Guest – The Duos Project (Cristal Records / L’Autre Distribution, 2021)
– On Shoulders We Stand with Guillaume de Chassy and Matteo Pastorino (Enja / Yellowbird, 2022)
– Real Men Cry (Cristal Records / L’Autre Distribution, 2025)

These recordings highlight not only his vocal and compositional artistry, but also his strength as a conceptual leader and collaborator across diverse musical landscapes.

Has worked since the 1980s with:
Harry « Sweets » Edison, Johnny Griffin, Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, Natalie Dessay, The Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Foster, Toots Thielemans, Mino Cinelu, Marc Ducret, Philippe Catherine, Paolo Fresu, Erik Truffaz, Aka Moon, Khalil Chahine, Roy Ayers, Oumou Sangaré, Meshell Ndegeocello, Billy Cobham, Lena Willemark, Palle Danielsson, Jon Christensen, Didier Lockwood, Richard Galliano, Michel Portal, Abraham Laboriel, Kenny Wheeler, Claude Nougaro, Mark Murphy, Sheila Jordan, Ivan Lins, Daniel Humair, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Omara Portuondo, Fay Claassen, Agnès Jaoui, Maria Pia de Vito, Irène Jacob, Rhoda Scott, John Clayton, Marc Ribot, Nguyên Lê, Craig Street, Ernie Wilkins, The Dutch Metropole Orchestra, Orchestra Jazz Della Sardegna, Steve Coleman, Jon Faddis, Horace Parlan, Sahib Shihab, Andy Sheppard, Juan José Mosalini, Aldo Romano, Charlotte Rampling, Bob Stewart, Minino Garay, Hanna Schygulla, Maria João, Mario Laginha, Gustavo Beytelman, Maria de Medeiros, David Gilmore, Maurane, Viktor Lazlo, Juliette, Greg Cohen, Michel Fugain, Tetê Espindola, Ray Lema, Kevin Breit, Nathalie Baye, Claudio Roditi, Norma Winstone, Ibrahim Maalouf, Lenine, Cristina Zavalloni, Magic Malik, Tigran Hamasyan, Médéric Collignon, Jacques Schwartz-Bart, Miroslav Vitous, Hamilton de Holanda, Ira Coleman, Antonio Farao, Thierry Lang, Daryl Hall, Gregory Porter, David Murray, Alain Jean-Marie, WDR Big Band, Philip Dizack, Gerald Clayton, Kendrick Scott, Matt Brewer, Lage Lund, Till Brönner, Grégoire Maret, Jason Rebello, Magnus Öström…

In 1986 David’s first acclaimed project A Lover’s Question with writer James Baldwin reciting his poetry on music composed and produced by David and Pierre Van Dormael, puts him in the limelight of the jazz world both in Europe and the USA. This CD, recorded in 1985–1986 and released in 1991 (with a.o. Steve Coleman, Slide Hampton, Deborah Brown), was re-released in 2000 by Label Bleu/Harmonia Mundi and came with a book of poems and short stories, translated into French by Hubert Nyssen (Actes Sud).

In 1992, David teams up with pianist-composer Diederik Wissels to form the legendary vocal-piano duo project that continues to record and tour in multiple formats (duo, quartet, symphonic). The duo’s innovative approach to contemporary vocal jazz earned international acclaim and inspired many other jazz vocalists. Their songs appear in the Real Book (Sher Music) and have been interpreted by Sheila Jordan, Maria João, Fay Claassen, Maria Pia de Vito, Norma Winstone and others.

They collaborated on Heartland with Paolo Fresu for Universal Jazz.

In 2000, David released L’Instant d’Après, an album of French originals produced by Craig Street (Lizz Wright, Cassandra Wilson) for Polydor/Universal, widely praised across Europe.

In 2003, Wissels signed with Harmonia Mundi for the album This Time, celebrating their 10-year partnership, and the duo performed at leading international festivals (Vienne, Marciac, Montréal, Nice…).

In 2004, Linx and Wissels joined with vocalists Fay Claassen and Maria Pia de Vito for One Heart, Three Voices, leading to a three-year international tour.

David is Professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where he has led the jazz vocal department since 1995, and is also in residence at the Conservatory of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Siena Jazz University (Italy).

He has composed numerous scores for films and documentaries; O Herói by Zézé Gamboa won the Grand Jury Prize at Robert Redford’s Sundance Festival.

In 2005, he sang Belgium’s national anthem before the King and Queen and over 800,000 people for the country’s 175th anniversary.