Stéphane Houben, better known as Steve Houben, was born 19 March 1950 in Liège, Belgium. He was a jazz saxophonist and flutist whose career spanned five decades. After studying at Berklee College of Music, he returned to Belgium and co‑founded the jazz seminar at the Conservatoire royal de Liège, working closely with Henri Pousseur. His recordings include Vagabondages (1991), HLM (1986), Un Ange Passe (2005), and Darker Scales (2011), while collaborations featured Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, and Toots Thielemans. In 2000 he won the Djangodor for Best Belgian artist, was elected to the Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux‑arts in 2010, and served as acting director of the Conservatoire royal de Liège in 2012. Steve Houben died on 21 March 2026 in Banneux at age 76.
