Marc Lelangue
Biography
Marc Lelangue was born in Courtrai, West Flanders, in a maternity clinic now transformed into a home for the aged, which will eventually permit him to end where he started.
His early interest in Blues music leads him very soon to artists like Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Boy Fuller, but what really gets things started is a Big Bill Broonzy record, with the lyrics printed inside the cover.
He learns all the songs by heart and starts singing them.
On the streets first, and then in locations as unheard of as himself.
Meanwhile, he develops a rural blues repertoire no one calls "unplugged" yet.
He meets Luther Tucker, nephew of Robert Lockwood, Jr, and guitarist
during legendary sessions for Chess Records with Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and regular accompanist for James Cotton, Muddy Waters, Snooky Pryor or John Lee
Hooker.
Tucker happens to live nearby in Brussels for a couple of months, and invites him several times to eat, play cards, have a drink, and to sing the rural blues that he is practicing and which evokes in Tucker many souvenirs.
In 1984, Marc Lelangue is programmed at the Ostend Rythm 'n Jazz festival.
He participated several times in tours organized by the belgian musicians association "Les Lundis d'Hortense", as well as festivals organized by this same association.
In 1987, he does the gambit at the Ancienne Belgique of an appearance by Johnny
Copeland,
In 1989, he plays at the Festival Jazz au Château in Oupeye, does a tour in France and gives various concerts a.o. with 3 guitars, with Pierre Van Dormael and Paolo Radoni at the legendary Travers jazz club in Brussels.
In autumn 1991, his Bluesband, composed of Patrick Deltenre (guitar), Daniel Romeo
(bass) and Thierry Gutmann (drums) accompanies Chicago singer Zora Young during 16 concerts around France, at Nancy Jazz Pulsations as well as the famous New Morning jazz club (Paris).
The group played in numerous places and appeared at the main belgian blues festivals such as the Spring Blues Festival in Ecaussines, Jazz à Liège, South Blues Festival, Rythm 'n Blues Festival in Peer, as well as abroad at the Jazz Rally organized in Sevilla during the Universal Exhibition, le Printemps de Bourges (France), "Tchervona Routa" in Donetsk (Ukraine), Pistoïa Blues and Ostia Jazz & Blues (Italy), Carleton Blues (Canada) and also played a concert with Philip Catherine at Brussels's Brosella Jazz Festival.
Marc Lelangue is still faithful to blues singing, but has created a parallel
repertoire, of songs that he wrote in French and recorded on the CD Glandeur Nature. This repertoire brought him concerts in France, Switzerland and Canada.
He is also known for his humorous presence during his live appearances.
In 2001, Marc Lelangue brings out Greenville another album in English produced by long time fellow Kevin Mulligan.
In 2000 and 2001, Marc Lelangue was invited to give a week-long workshop about Blues and guitar in Bolivia.
In 2006, Lelangue goes back to where it all started and releases Second Hand Roots, a solo acoustic album of old and sometimes obscure pre-war Blues.
This brings him, above many club concerts, to the Festival Méditerranéen de la Guitare in Tunis, the Festival des Cordes Pincées in Rabat (Morocco), Jazz à Ouaga in Burkina Faso for a couple of concerts and a workshop with local musicians, Jazz Kiff in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Settembrinu di Tavagna festival (Corsica).
When not on stage on his own, Marc Lelangue likes to play New Orleans Rythm'n Blues with The Heavy Muffulettas, a 7 piece band he formed to play the music he brought back from a journey to the Crescent City.
That band made it several times on Brussel's Grand Place, as well at the Calvi Jazz Festival (Corsica) or the Jazz à Carthage festival (a couple of nights in Tunisia).
In 2016, Marc Lelangue has recorded "Lost In The Blues", an acoustic album with multi-instrumentalis Lazy Horse (mandolin, slide guitar, mouthharp, sanding paper) and René Stock on upright bass.
Enseignement, programmation, ...
Marc Lelangue a assuré plusieurs années durant la programmation du Travers, légendaire club de Jazz bruxellois.
Depuis 2004 et jusqu'à sa disparition due au Covid, il a programmé la Nuit du Blues de Mouscron, ville où il a également animé quelques stages de Blues dans le cadre de l'Université d'Eté de Wallonie Picarde.
Enseigne régulièrement la guitare Blues lors des stages organisés à Virton par l'asbl Musique Acoustique, a assuré durant 16 ans la session "Blues" de l'Académie d'Eté à Libramont où il a aussi animé un atelier sur la musique de la Nouvelle-Orléans.
A donné des ateliers de guitare, de (ré)écriture de chanson et de mise en place scénique lors de plusieurs stages organisés par la FédéRock à Nismes (Viroinval).
Teaching
For several years, Marc Lelangue did the program of Travers, the legendary Brussels based jazz club .
Since 2004, he's been doing the same for the Nuit du Blues in Mouscron (Belgium).
He has been giving workshops and master-classes about blues music, guitar (both acoustic and electric) and New Orleans music since twenty years now, in Belgium, Tunisia, Morocco, Bolivia or Burkina Faso.
And is still happy to do so.
Discography
Marc Lelangue Bluesband: Blues You Could Use (Igloo IGL 098)
Glandeur Nature (Franc'Amour FC 095)
Greenville (Igloo IGL 150)
Second Hand Roots (Naked NP 007)
Lost In The Blues (Naked NP 024)
Le Bar ferme à deux heures (BD - CD édité par Musique Acoustique asbl)
Musical producer, arranger, guitars, on belgian singer-songwriter Claude Semal's "A Nos Amours"
Collaboration to "African Gnaoua Blues" of Moroccan gembri player-singer Majid Bekkas as well as on Sori Pou l' Tchat by Mimile & les Bribeux d'Toubac
Le Blues Animal (vocals, several guitars, arrangement) on Reviens gamin - Pias), tribute to the late Belgian singer-songwriter Jeff Bodart.
Over the years, Marc Lelangue has played, worked or shared the stage with
Bernard Allison, Dick Annegarn, Majid Bekkas, Philip Catherine, Eddie « The Chief » Clearwater, Johnny Copeland, Thierry Crommen, Geneviève Dartevelle, Yvan Dautin, Raphaël Debacker, Steven De Bruyn, Koen De Cauter, Fabien Degryse, Patrick Deltenre, Jean-Claude Derudder, Patrick Dorcean, Laurent Doumont, Jozef Dumoulin, Jean-Paul Estiévenart, Nino Ferrer, Guy Forsyth, Jean-Pierre Froidebise, Stéphane Galland, Thierry Gutmann, Arthur H, Patrick Hannak, Michel Hatzigeorgiou, Cisco Herzhaft, Jacques Higelin, Lazy Horse, Johnny "Guitar Junior" Johnson, Yann-Fanch Kemener, Eric Legnini, Louisiana Red, Jacques Mahieux, Barry McNeese, Mimile & les Bribeux d'Toubac, François Monseur, Hans Mortelmans, Kevin Mulligan, Claude Nougaro, Dré Pallemaerts, Lucky Peterson, Jacques Pirotton, Paolo Radoni, "Big Dave" Reniers, Guy Rombaux, Daniel Romeo, Jokke Schreurs, Claude Semal, René Stock, Jacques Stotzem, Nicolas Thys, Tuck & Patti, Roland Van Campenhout, Pierre Van Dormael, Raymond Van Het Groenewoud, Diederik Wissels, Marva Wright, Zora Young, Pirly Zurstrassen, ...
Langue : French
