Martial Solal

Martial Solal is a Pianiste of Jazz, Compositeur, Arrangeur and Leader French, born in Algiers the August 23rd 1927.

Biography

During the Second world war, with the Morocco during its military service, it starts by playing in the messes of the American soldiers. Become professional in 1945, it settles with Paris in 1950. He plays with many musicians of jazz of then: Aime Barelli, Chiboust, Benny Bennett, and takes part in many recordings, sometimes under the pseudo one of OJ Jaguar, for the Vogue mark. It takes its freedom in 1953 and plays in clubs, accompanying large the jazzmen by passage.

Since 1951 it creates a Quartet, with Roger Guerin with the Trompette, Paul Rovère with the Contrebasse and Daniel Humair with the battery. It records some food successes and composes for television and the cinema: Breathless , Leon Morin priest , free Exhaust . One day, Guy Lafitte requires of him to find an agreement for the Pont of a twist and an idea of arrangement, since one believes it only type-setter of " Twist with Saint-Tropez " …

In 1957, with the Saint-Germain Club, with Roger Guerin, it composes a main work Suite in D flat for quartet , then will come in 1960, Suite for a Plank , another masterpiece. 1960 are the year of the creation of sound Trio with Guy Pedersen with the double bass and Daniel Humair with the battery, trio which remains famous. They release the triangular play of the traditional trio: the double bass changes radically becoming more melody and the esthète Daniel Humair brings dishevelling technical lucky finds.

Pillar of the Blue-Note, it accompanies the guitarist Jimmy Gourley during several months, playing a different repertory every evening, which enables him to have a perfect command of the topics and harmony of all the standards.

Very snuffed Sideman of the great names of the jazz, Martial Solal had from the start of success as of the publication of its first recording in 1953. The American producer George Wein discovers it in France and presents it in 1963 in the high-speed motorboat to the festivals of Newport (Teddy Kotick with the double bass and Paul Motian with the battery) and Monterey, in San Francisco, New York and Montreal. It is the departure of a remarkable career for a French musician who will lead it Carnegie Hall to the House of the Type-setters of Moscow, Fenice of Venice to the Philharmonie of Berlin. However, young groom and father of a son in Paris, it gives up an American career. It will be despite everything as a leader of its own trio and its full orchestras that it approaches it, with a stress laid on the composition. That will be worth to him that very many setters in scenes, of Jean-Luc Godard for mythical the Breathless with Orson Welles for the lawsuit , entrust the original soundtrack of their films to him.

Then it launches out in a full orchestra, repeats in 1982 and 2006 with its Dodecaband then its Newdecaband. Eric Lann is the only trumpet player to be appeared in it since the beginning. Solal writes to him arrangements of songs of Piaf and Trenet.

Martial Solal is known for his talent of commentator, presenter and his humor: its compositions name Our smokings - Averty it is me - Leloir is expensive to me - Gavotte with Gaveau - the alley Thiers and the ugly post - Basie Like - He plays regularly in solo, like in duet, with various personalities: Lee Konitz, Michel Portal, Didier Lockwood… It also played with, inter alia: Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Stephan Grappelli, Phil Woods, Carmen McRae…

In 1997, making following the album " Just Friends" , it turns in trio with Gary Peacock to the double bass and Paul Motian to the battery.

Then it creates its current trio with the twins François (b) and Louis (d) Moutin.

Its control out-par of the instrument accompanies a talent by inexhaustible improviser. Its talent made it recognize well beyond Europe. Duke Ellington itself said of Solal that it had “in abundance the essential components with a musician: sensitivity, freshness, creativity and an extraordinary technique”.

In 1999, Martial Solal received with Copenhagen the Jazzpar Prize, considered as the Nobel of the Jazz, which completes the building impressing of distinctions that it received: Price of the festivals of Montreux, $the Hague, Milan, Price of the Academy Charles Cros, Price of the President of the Republic, Victoire of the Music, Price Stan Kenton, Price Django Reinhardt, Price Boris Vian, 2 Djangos d' Or, Price of the SACEM and in 1993 the National Grand Prix of the Music…

It recorded more than 50 discs under its name. Lastly, a very prestigious international contest of piano jazz organized every four years bears its name. He is the father of the singer of jazz Claudia Solal, which takes part in its orchestra Newdecaband .

Xavier Prévost from Radio France published in March 2006 the transcription of a long biographical discussion with Martial SOLAL, accompanied by an exhaustive DVD (8h54'). (Martial Solal Type-setter of the Moment INA/Michel de Maule)

Compositions

With composed for Elisabeth Chöjnacka, Marcel Azzola, the Percussions of Strasbourg, Pierre Charial, Unit Arban Concert…

Concerto for piano of jazz and orchestra (1981), Imagination for 2 orchestras (1984), continuation in D flat for quartet of jazz (1959)…

Film musics

Two men in Manhattan (1959, Flesh-colored Marcel)
Breathless (1960, Jean-Luc Godard)
Leon Morin, priest (1961, Jean-Pierre Melville)
free Exhaust (1963, Jean Becker)
the one night business (1960, Henri Verneuil)
the Will of Orphée (1960, Jean Cocteau)
Ballade with white (1983, Bertrand Gauthier)
the Enemies (1962, Edouard Molinaro)
the Actors (2000, Bertrand Blier)
the Lawsuit (1962, Orson Welles)

Discography

1959/85 : Martial Solal " Live" THE BEST OFF (1986: Grand Prix of the Academy of the French disc Oscar of the Academy of the Jazz)
1962: Jazz with Gaveau, in trio recorded in May (Liberty Records, pressing U.S.A)
1970: Without drum nor trumpet (RCA/BMG)
1978: Solal series " continuation for trio" (Mps)
1983/1984: Martial solal big band (Dreyfus)
1993: Solal Lockwood (JMS)
1994: Martial Solal improvises for France-Music
1999: Martial Solal Trio, " Trott of March 10th " (Drunk person Notes Records) (with Marc Johnson and Paul Motian)
2001: Martial Solal NY-1 " Live At the Vanguard" Village; (accompanied by François Moutin and Bill Stewart)
2006: Martial Solal Newdecaband exposure without table (Night)

A bond towards an illustrated selective discography

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