PIANOFORTE
Four pianists on stage, four immense figures on the jazz scene, and infinite musical possibilities. Pianoforte is a simple word that combines talent with panache in the plural, with eight hands, for an exceptional musical moment.
Keyboards and jazz have a long love affair. Between the piano, the Hammond organ and the Fender Rhodes, all musicians have tasted the possibilities of improvisation. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that four of today's leading French-speaking jazz pianists, all four of whom have won a Victoire du Jazz award, were keen to share this desire to play together and exploit, again and again, the most marvellous harmonic and melodic combinations!
Baptiste Trotignon
In 2014, the young 40-year-old, described by Le Monde as "A lesson, a model, perfection from A to Z", returned to the art of the trio with "Hit", on which he invited groove master Jeff Ballard. In 2016, while releasing a totally original project blending jazz and classical on Kurt Weill with Kate Lindsey (Thousands of miles, acclaimed by the New York Times), he signs with the prestigious SonyMusic label, first unveiling two stunning albums expressing his love of South American traditions (Chimichurri with Argentine Minino Garay and Ancestral Memories with Cuban Yosvany Terry).
In 2018, he received the prestigious Echo Jazz Award in Germany in the "International Instrumentalist" category, and premiered his 1st symphonic piece Hiatus et Turbulences with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, followed a few months later by his 2nd piece for piano and orchestra L'air de rien, a concert in which he also played Mozart's 1st Concerto for the first time before playing the 9th Jeune homme Concerto a little later! Finally, the artist has just released Brexit Music, covers of English pop (Police, Radiohead...) in jazz trio.
BOJAN Z
An award-winning musician, Bojan Z (for Zulfikarpasic) has a distinctive sense of style that always seems to elude classification. He seamlessly blends and distorts his colorful musical baggage, which ranges from his solid classical training, through Brazilian music and the Beatles, to Balkan folk, blues and jazz.
His most recent albums were released on Emarcy, including his solo masterpiece Soul Shelter, which won him the 'Artist of the Year' award at the 2012 Victoires du Jazz, and on which he contrasts his favorite Fazioli piano with the frayed sounds of his tricked-out Fender Rhodes christened 'xenophone', which has become one of his signatures. And more recently, the album As Is on the Paradis Improvisé label.
Eric Legnini
Eric Legnini is one of the most renowned and sought-after jazz artists in France and abroad. In recent years, he has been programmed as a leader or sideman at the most prestigious jazz festivals in France and Europe.
After his 4th album, Eric Legnini undertook a first triptych: Miss Soul, Big Boogaloo and Trippin', 3 opuses articulated around a research work on the trio. The 2nd triptych revolves around the voice: The Vox (Victoire du Jazz in 2011), Sing Twice! and finally his new project, Six Strings Under. After introducing the voice into his work, with Krystle Warren's major contribution to The Vox album, Eric Legnini continues to highlight this "instrument" on Sing Twice! with Emi Meyer's pop-folk side, Hugh Coltman's more soulful, bluesy color and the Afro-funk touch of Mali's Mamani Keita: and opened the doors to the third part of this research.
Pierre de Bethmann
Co-leader of the PRYSM trio, he recorded four albums for Blue Note and toured extensively in France and Europe, and several times in Japan, the USA and Canada. After several artistic residencies, notably at AmphiJazz de l'Opéra de Lyon, Théâtre de L'Onde in Vélizy, L'apostrophe, scène nationale de Cergy-Pontoise et du Val d'Oise between 2012 and 2015, and Théâtre de Saint Quentin en Yvelines between 2016 and 2018. He has taught at the Jazz and Improvised Music Department of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris since 2008. His latest trio album is Essais / Volume 5.
On stage, two grand pianos and two Fender Rhodes are in the starting blocks. There is no shortage of daring, but it is complicity that wins the day! Far from the usual, there is a feeling of novelty in listening to this rare musical combo. Each plays the role of leader or accompanist, alternating between melodic themes and rhythmic dynamics. The dialogue between four voices and eight hands reveals the full range of pianistic emotions! Pianoforte!
Kareen Guiock-Thuram is not only the journalist and presenter of 12.45 on M6, she's also an artist, a singer who has scoured the Paris jazz clubs, often invited by her mentor, Caribbean jazz master Mario Canonge, and is paying tribute to Nina Simone today, through an album and in concert.
Kareen Guiock-Thuram "Nina" Tribute to Nina Simone. And for good reason: she's been one of France's favorite journalists for the past 10 years. Her voice and silhouette are also familiar from the Paris jazz clubs where she has been making her mark since the early 2000s. A great voice, powerful and silky. The artist grew up between Cayenne, Pointe-à-Pitre and Paris. By the age of 13, she was already writing songs and publishing her first article. By the age of 19, she was editor-in-chief of a monthly cultural magazine, while continuing her studies up to a master's degree in philosophy. She wrote dozens of songs, sometimes sung by others, or by herself as a guest on albums. At the same time, her career as a journalist took off, and she became not only a presenter, but also editor-in-chief of the M6 TV news program. In 2023, Kareen Guiock-Thuram decided to take a break from the cameras and move towards the public, as an artist. She chose to present her album first on stage, in concert, in the temple of jazz, the New Morning. An exceptional voice at the service of an exceptional repertoire, that of Nina Simone, 20 years after her death, with the album Nina released last spring.
