The two exceptional artists Ivan Paduart and Quentin Dujardin met for the first time in 2004. They released their first album Vivre in 2005, an impressive fusion of piano and guitar, and with it created a distinctive new sound. A world of sound that spans many genres and makes space for warm harmonies and profound lyrical melodies.

Ivan Paduart recalls: « I met Quentin 12 years ago and, from the very beginning, one thing really struck me. Besides of being a great musician, he’s open minded, always trying to intermingle genres, just like me! The most interesting point is that we are basically coming from different musical worlds. From the very beginning, combining our different approaches was a revelation to both of us! »

Quentin Dujardin added: « Ivan has a real talent for melody and a great sense of counterpoint. That’s probably what first caught my ear when I discovered his music. Playing together changes my way of thinking about music and also my approach to my own instrument. Playing simpler to create more space. It’s a real privilege to be accompanied so well. Making music with Ivan has never been a challenge, but a statement. »

On their current album Catharsis, they’ve got some great musicians on their side whose names speak for themselves: Manu Katché (drums), Richard Bona (bass and vocals), Olivier Ker Ourio (chromatic harmonica) and Bert Joris (trumpet).

There are nine original compositions here on their second album together, three of which were penned by Dujardin (Retrouvailles, Mark & Farouk, Song For Paco). They once again carry you away into soundscapes that set the soul wandering (Human Being – a hymn to Africa), unite cultures (Delivrance – a folk-style theme that could come from Ireland, with a typical Balkan 5/4 rhythm) or sparkle like the light and airy Isabelle, so reminiscent of a waltz musette. And Dreams Ago, a patchwork of seven individual stories which differ only in their details: a sort of complex journey with very different moods – like the seven different yet similar dreams that one could have in a week…

With Catharsis, Ivan Paduart and Quentin Dujardin have once again succeeded in the high art of reaching and stimulating both the heart and mind!