Louis Sclavis
Encyclopedia
Louis Sclavis
Louis Sclavis (b. Lyon
, France
, February 2, 1953) is a French
jazz
musician. He performs on clarinet
, bass clarinet
, and soprano saxophone
in a variety of contexts, including jazz
and free jazz
. He is noted for his creativity and lively sense of humor.
at age 9, where he studied clarinet He began performing with the Lyon Workshop, where he met Michel Portal
and Bernard Lubat. He then joined the Brotherhood of Breath
of Chris McGregor
, and later the Henri Texier Quartet
.
He began his work as a gutarist in 1987, with his first solo album, Chine. The track "Duguesclin" actually became a surprise hit in France, due to its lively, middle-age inspiration. In 2005, he formed a trio with Henri Texier and Aldo Romano
, the African Trio, which achieved considerable success, even outside of the French jazz community. In November 2006, at the Festival 'Écouter Voir' in Lyons, Sclavis first met the Quatuor Habanera
, with whom he collaborated on their third album, L'engrenage (2007).
He frequently performs with the cellist
Ernst Reijseger
and was one of the first to combine jazz with French folk music
, working most prominently with the hurdy-gurdy player Valentin Clastrier
.
In 2010 Roberto Tardito dedicated his album Distanze to him.
Louis Sclavis (b. Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, February 2, 1953) is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician. He performs on clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, bass clarinet
Bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
, and soprano saxophone
Soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
in a variety of contexts, including jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
. He is noted for his creativity and lively sense of humor.
Biography
Sclavis began his musical education at the conservatoire de LyonLyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
at age 9, where he studied clarinet He began performing with the Lyon Workshop, where he met Michel Portal
Michel Portal
Michel Portal is a composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist.Portal studied clarinet at the Conservatoire de Paris...
and Bernard Lubat. He then joined the Brotherhood of Breath
Brotherhood of Breath
The Brotherhood of Breath was a big-band created in the late 1960s by South African pianist/composer Chris McGregor , essentially an extension of McGregor's previous band The Blue Notes....
of Chris McGregor
Chris McGregor
Christopher McGregor , was a South African jazz pianist, bandleader and composer born in Somerset West, South Africa.- Early influences :...
, and later the Henri Texier Quartet
Henri Texier
Henri Texier, born , is a French jazz double bassist born in Paris.He is perhaps best-known for his 1960s work with Don Cherry and for his 1980s band the "Transatlantik Quartet", which featured Joe Lovano, Steve Swallow and Aldo Romano...
.
He began his work as a gutarist in 1987, with his first solo album, Chine. The track "Duguesclin" actually became a surprise hit in France, due to its lively, middle-age inspiration. In 2005, he formed a trio with Henri Texier and Aldo Romano
Aldo Romano
Aldo Romano is a jazz drummer. He also started a rock group in 1971.-Biography:He moved to France as a child and by the 1950s he was playing guitar and drums professionally in Paris, but his career gained notice when he started working with Don Cherry in 1963. He recorded with Steve Lacy and...
, the African Trio, which achieved considerable success, even outside of the French jazz community. In November 2006, at the Festival 'Écouter Voir' in Lyons, Sclavis first met the Quatuor Habanera
Quatuor Habanera
Quatuor Habanera are one of the world's leading saxophone quartets. Established in 1993, after study at Conservatoire de Paris, the quartet has won seven international prizes and recorded six albums. Their ability to adapt to varied musical styles is noted, recording contemporary music of Ligeti,...
, with whom he collaborated on their third album, L'engrenage (2007).
He frequently performs with the cellist
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
Ernst Reijseger
Ernst Reijseger
ERNST REIJSEGER Cellist and composer Ernst Reijseger plays the cello from the age of seven and began as a performing cellist and improviser in 1969. From that time on he developed his own musical vocabulary...
and was one of the first to combine jazz with French folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, working most prominently with the hurdy-gurdy player Valentin Clastrier
Valentin Clastrier
French musician Valentin Clastrier is one of the few performers in the world specializing in contemporary music for the hurdy-gurdy; before Clastrier, the instrument was used primarily in the performance of European Medieval and folk musics....
.
In 2010 Roberto Tardito dedicated his album Distanze to him.
Discography
- Clarinettes (1985)
- Chine (Label Bleu, 1987)
- Chamber Music (Label Bleu, 1990)
- Ellington on the Air (Label Bleu, 1991)
- Acoustic Quartet (ECMECM (record label)ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres...
, 1994) - Carnet de Routes (Label Bleu, 1995)
- Ceux qui veillent la nuit (Label Bleu, 1996)
- Les Violences de Rameau (ECMECM (record label)ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres...
, 1996) - Suite Africaine (Label Bleu, 1999)
- L'Affrontement des PrétendantsL'Affrontement des PrétendantsL'Affrontement des Prétendants is an album by French clarinetist Louis Sclavis recorded in 1999 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars stating "it is as a quintet this band plays, as a musical unit that is seasoned and confident and in...
(ECMECM (record label)ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres...
, 1999) - Dans la NuitDans la NuitDans la Nuit is an album by French clarinetist Louis Sclavis recorded in 2000 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Glenn Astarita awarded the album 4½ stars stating "Sclavis' multi-hued and altogether vividly constructed arrangements hit the mark in a noticeably huge...
(ECM, 2000) - Napoli's WallsNapoli's WallsNapoli's Walls is an album by French clarinetist Louis Sclavis recorded in 2002 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "this record is full of sensual pleasure and an utterly accessible, often deeply moving articulation of a new...
(ECMECM (record label)ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres...
, 2002) - African Flashback (Label Bleu, 2005)
- L'Imparfait des LanguesL'Imparfait des LanguesL'imparfait des Langues is the twelfth album by French jazz musician Louis Sclavis, and his fifth for ECM Records.- Background :Sclavis had received a commission to premiere a new project at the Monaco Festival Le Printemps des Arts in Monte Carlo, in April 2005. Having put together an ensemble,...
(ECMECM (record label)ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres...
, 2007) - Lost on the WayLost on the WayLost on the Way is an album by French clarinetist and composer Louis Sclavis recorded in 2008 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(ECMECM (record label)ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres...
, 2009)