Casimir Liberski
Casimir Liberski (born 28 January 1988) is a pianist, keyboardist and composer.
Casimir Liberski | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Casimir Liberski |
| Born | 28 January 1988 |
| Origin | Brussels, Belgium |
| Genres | Jazz, Experimental, Jazz-Rock, Fusion, Contemporary |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, Composer |
| Years active | 2003 – present |
| Labels | Dalang! Records, Igloo, Motema, Ropeadope |
| Website | www.casimirliberski.com |
Casimir Liberski, born in 1988 in Brussels, Belgium. He distinguished himself as leader of his own trio at age 13 and gained significant recognition and acclaim on the European and international music scene since then. From his early live appearances, Casimir's music was described by the critics as deeply moving, exhilarating and surprisingly atypical. He naturally possessed a strong daring and personal style, topped with an astonishing virtuosity as a pianist.
Brought up in an artistic family (his father is the famous Belgian writer/director /comedian Stefan Liberski and his mother, ACK, one of world's most sought-after art restoration specialist), Casimir was certainly musically inclined, but a kid of his generation, exposed to the hypnotic melodies from Nintendo, MTV tubes, the inventiveness of alternative rock, the global rising of rap. As a toddler he was relentlessly watching Tex Avery cartoons VHS' for their mesmerizing soundtracks. Casimir also drew inspiration from all areas and eras of music, starting with mainly the Blues and soul/funk, then later on widened his knowledge of experimental, classical and electronic music. Although his taste was always extremely democratic and all these sources were equally valuable influences for him, he was particularly drawn towards Jazz and the joy he gets from improvising.
Casimir has earned various accolades in major jazz festivals and competitions since a young age. In 2005, Casimir earned the price of "Artiste de l'année" at les Octaves de la musique. He also composed music for films and TV, notably "Bunker Paradise" and "Tokyo Fiancée" for which he was nominated for best screen composer at the Ghent's film festival of 2005.
In 2006, Berklee College of Music welcomed Casimir with the exclusive Presidential Scholarship as first European student to receive this prestigious award which financially covers all cost of living and tuition. There, Casimir got to learn from some masters like Brad Mehldau, Masabumi Kikuchi, Danilo Perez, Craig Taborn, Jason Moran, Edna Golandsky, Steve Hunt, Vijay Iyer, Sal Mosca, Fred Hersch, and more. The most consequent lever of Casimir's musical development was the privileged mentorship he received for a decade from the legendary Ornette Coleman. OC bequeathed him the keys to the art of improvisation and the freedom of human expression through the eternal sound of music.
In 2008 Casimir recorded an album of fully improvised music with renown musicians for the New York jazz scene: the drummer Tyshawn Sorey and the bassist Thomas Morgan. In 2010, prior to his college graduation, Casimir officially moved to New York City where he started working with a great deal of professionals such as Charnett Moffett, Stanley Jordan, Jeff Tain Watts, Denardo Coleman, Rodney Holmes, Nasheet Waits, John Hébert, Greg Osby, Matthew Shipp, Mark Shim, Tony Moreno, Evan Marien, Godwin Louis, Peter Evans, Matt Garstka, Jeanfrançois Prins, Louis de Mieulle and many more... In 2012, Casimir released two progressive jazz-rock albums under his own name. "Atomic Rabbit" and "The Caveless Wolf", recorded in two consecutive days, featuring all original compositions and released on Liberski's label Dalang! Records. In 2016 Casimir performed with visual artist Jean-Luc Moerman at Queen Elisabeth's Music Chapel in Belgium for the first performance outside of the classical realm ever given in this place. That same year Casimir the Montreux Solo Piano Competition in Switzerland and attends a week-long coaching from jazz stars Marcus Miller, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Trilok Gurtu and Yaron Herman at the Jazz Academy in Lausanne.
In 2018, Casimir finished a band new album of innovative new compositions, along with Matt Garstka and Louis de Mieulle, produced by John Davis from the band Nerve and which will come out in 2019 on Ropeadope Records.
Selected discography
- 2008: "Evanescences (featuring Tyshawn Sorey and Thomas Morgan)" (Dalang!Records)
- 2009: Dedications (Jazz Revelation Records)
- 2010: Treasures (Motéma Music)
- 2012: Defense Mechanism (by Louis de Mieulle)
- 2012: "The Caveless Wolf - Casimir Liberski Trio" (Dalang!Records)
- 2012: "Atomic Rabbit" (Dalang!Records)[1]
- 2014: "Tokyo Fiancée" (Dalang!Records)
- 2015: Stars, Plants & Bugs (by Louis de Mieulle)
- 2016: Ukiyo (by Kaoru Tanaka)
- 2016: Lagune (by JF Foliez)
- 2017: Middle of Somewhere
- 2019: Cosmic Liberty
