Solis Lacus -

Solis Lacus was a Belgian jazz-rock band that released a self-titled album in 1975 on IBC.

Members: Michel Herr (electric piano, keyboards, percussion), Richard Rousselet (trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion), Robert Jeanne (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone), Nick Kletchkovsky (electric bass), Bruno Castellucci (drums, percussion), Félix Simtaine (drums)

Background

Solis Lacus (Latin for “Sun Lake”) formed in 1974 as a spinoff of Placebo, a Belgian jazz-rock band with bassist Nick Kletchkovsky, drummer Bruno Castellucci, and trumpeter Richard Rousselet. They teamed with veteran saxophonist Robert Jeanne (b. April, 27, 1932; Liège) and keyboardist newcomer Michel Herr (b. February 16, 1949; Brussels), who earned another early credit on the 1975 debut by Jazztrack, an outgrowth of Association PC.

Solis Lacus signed with the International Bestseller Company, an EMI Belgium subsidiary that carried the recent Cos debut, Postaeolian Train Robbery.

Solis Lacus (1975)

Solis Lacus released their self-titled album in 1975 on the Best Seller imprint of IBC.

The album presents a refined strain of mid-1970s jazz-rock marked by supple rhythmic interplay and lyrical brass voicings. It captures the core of Belgium’s fusion movement, linking the atmospheric elements of Placebo with the luminous keyboard textures of Return to Forever.

Keyboardist Michel Herr (Fender Rhodes, kalimba, percussion) leads the ensemble with trumpeter Richard Rousselet (flugelhorn, percussion), saxophonist Robert Jeanne (tenor, soprano, percussion), bassist Nick Kletchkovsky (Fender), and drummer Bruno Castellucci (cuíca, percussion), with Félix Simtaine handling drums and percussion on two earlier sessions. Herr composed all six numbers, recorded over two sessions in 1974–75.

Herr’s writing alternates between brisk, syncopated passages and more spacious, rhythmically suspended themes. Rousselet and Jeanne trade lyrical, extended phrases across Herr’s electric piano backdrops, while Kletchkovsky maintains a supple rhythmic flow that anchors the ensemble’s shifting tempos. The sound ranges from relaxed and atmospheric to bright and percussive, balancing structured horn voicings with open-form improvisation.

A1. “Utopic Cities” (7:02)
A2. “Peace Please” (6:15)
A3. “Open Air” (5:40)

B1. “Little Green Man” (4:42)
B2. “Sea of Tranquillity” (8:45)
B3. “Remake” (5:10)

Sessions occurred at Studio Madeleine in Brussels with engineer Roland Leclercq. The recordings took place in May 1975, except “Peace Please” and “Remake,” which date from April 1974.

Solis Lacus features cover art by Druco with back cover design by Guy Martin and photography by Hubert Vaesen and J. J. Symul. Liner notes were provided by Juul Anthonissen and Robert Pernet.

Postlude

Castellucci played on the 1975 jazz-funk album Niara by Belgian-based American trumpeter Doug Lucas. He and Roussett also backed Placebo colleague Marc Moulin on his solo debut, Sam’ Suffy. Castellucci also played on 1976/77 albums by Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski (Skleroptak) and Jan Akkerman.

Rousselet also played on Funky Tramway, a 1975 Vogue Records one-off by Mad Unity, a jazz-funk project headed by Janko Nilovic. He reunited with Herre and Jeanne in the Act Big Band, a thirteen-piece big band that released a 1981 album on the LDH label.

Discography: