Martial Solal
Encyclopedia
Martial Solal is a French
jazz pianist and composer, who is probably most widely known for the music he wrote for Jean-Luc Godard
's debut feature film À bout de souffle (1960).
in 1950, he soon began working with leading musicians including Django Reinhardt
and expatriates from the United States like Sidney Bechet
and Don Byas
. He formed a quartet (occasionally also leading a big band) in the late 1950s, although he had been recording as a leader since 1953. Solal then began composing film music, eventually providing over twenty scores.
In 1963 he made a much admired appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival
in Rhode Island
; the Newport '63 album purporting to be a recording of this gig is actually a studio recreation. At this time, his regular trio featured bassist Guy Pedersen and drummer Daniel Humair
. From 1968 he regularly performed and recorded with Lee Konitz
in Europe
and the United States of America.
In recent years, Martial Solal has continued to perform and record with his trio. Throughout his career he has performed solo, and during 1993-94 he gave thirty solo concerts for French Radio, a selection of performances from which were subsequently released in a 2-CD
set Improvise Pour Musique France by JMS Records.
Solal has also written a piano method book entitled Jazz Works.
Recently, the Gruppen review published in its issue of January 2011 an exceptional "Interview" of a dozen pages in which Martial Solal returns on his work as eternal "researcher in jazz. "
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 pianist and composer, who is probably most widely known for the music he wrote for Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
's debut feature film À bout de souffle (1960).
Biography
Solal was the son of an opera singer and piano teacher, who learned the instrument from the age of six. After settling in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1950, he soon began working with leading musicians including Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was a pioneering virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer who invented an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique that has since become a living musical tradition within French gypsy culture...
and expatriates from the United States like Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.He was one of the first important soloists in jazz , and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist...
and Don Byas
Don Byas
Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, long-resident in Europe.- Oklahoma and Los Angeles :...
. He formed a quartet (occasionally also leading a big band) in the late 1950s, although he had been recording as a leader since 1953. Solal then began composing film music, eventually providing over twenty scores.
In 1963 he made a much admired appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
; the Newport '63 album purporting to be a recording of this gig is actually a studio recreation. At this time, his regular trio featured bassist Guy Pedersen and drummer Daniel Humair
Daniel Humair
Daniel Humair is a drummer, jazz composer and painter.He is widely renowned and became Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in 1986.He has played with many jazz performers notably Martial Solal, Gerry Mulligan and Eric Dolphy....
. From 1968 he regularly performed and recorded with Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States of America.
In recent years, Martial Solal has continued to perform and record with his trio. Throughout his career he has performed solo, and during 1993-94 he gave thirty solo concerts for French Radio, a selection of performances from which were subsequently released in a 2-CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
set Improvise Pour Musique France by JMS Records.
Solal has also written a piano method book entitled Jazz Works.
Recently, the Gruppen review published in its issue of January 2011 an exceptional "Interview" of a dozen pages in which Martial Solal returns on his work as eternal "researcher in jazz. "
Discography
- 1953 : The Complete Vogue Recordings, Vol. 1 – Trios And Quartet (Vogue/BMG, 1953–56)
- 1954 : The Complete Vogue Recordings, Vol. 2 – Trios And Solos (Vogue/BMG, 1954–56)
- 1955 : The Complete Vogue Recordings, Vol. 1 – Trio And Big Band (Vogue/BMG, 1955–58)
- 1965 : Solal Series – Zo-Ko-So (MPS) with Hans Koller and Attila ZollerAttila ZollerAttila Cornelius Zoller was a Hungarian born Jazz guitarist. He won Deutscher Filmpreis for Beste Filmmusik in Germany for the film Das Brot der frühen Jahre in 1962.-Biography:...
- 1970 : Sans Tambour Ni Trompette (RCA)
- 1971 : En Solo (RCA)
- 1974 : Jazz A Juan with Lee KonitzLee KonitzLee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
(Steeplechase) - 1975 : Duo In Paris (Musica RecordsMusica Records-Discography:...
) with Joachim KühnJoachim Kühn-Biography:Kühn was a musical prodigy and made his debut as a concert pianist, having studied classical piano and composition with Arthur Schmidt-Elsey. Influenced by his elder brother, clarinetist Rolf Kühn, he simultaneously got interested in jazz. In 1961 he became a professional jazz musician.... - 1975 : Plays Ellington (Musica)
- 1976 : Movability (Pausa Records) with (Niels Pedersen)
- 1979 : Four Keys (Pausa Records) with (Lee Konitz) (John Scofield) and (Niels Pedersen)
- 1981 : Martial Solal Big band (Gaumont)
- 1983 : Bluesine (Soul Note)
- 1984 : Plays Hodeir (OMD)
- 1990 : Tryptique (Adda)
- 1993 : Solal-Lockwood (JMS)
- 1993 : Improvisie Pour France Musique (JMS)
- 1994 : Triangle (JMS) with Marc Johnson and Peter ErskinePeter ErskinePeter Erskine is an American jazz drummer and composer. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a session drummer, recording and touring with many famous jazz and rock artists, including Steely Dan and Weather Report...
- 1997 : Just Friends (Dreyfus) with Gary PeacockGary PeacockGary Peacock is an American jazz double-bassist.-Biography:After military service in Germany, in the early sixties he worked on the west coast with Barney Kessel, Bud Shank, Paul Bley and Art Pepper, then moved to New York. He worked there with Bley, the Bill Evans trio , and Albert Ayler's trio...
and Paul MotianPaul MotianStephen Paul Motian was an American jazz drummer, percussionist and composer of Armenian extraction.He first came to prominence in the late 1950s in the piano trio of Bill Evans, and later led several groups... - 1998 : Ballade du 10 Mars (Soul Note)
- 1998 : Jazz’n (e)motion (BMG/RCA)
- 2001 : Live at the Village Vanguard with François Moutin and Bill StewartBill Stewart (musician)William Harris "Bill" Stewart is an American jazz drummer. Stewart is a versatile player who has performed with a broad array of musicians, from Maceo Parker to Jim Hall...
- 2006 : Exposition sans tableau Martial Solal Newdecaband (Nocturne)
- 2007 : Solitude
- 2008 : Longitude with François Moutin and Louis Moutin
- 2008 : Live at the Village Vanguard
External links
- "A Half Century of Martial Solal" by Thierry Quénum] (Jazz.com)
- Martial Solal unreleased recordings, including Robert Kaddouch - Gruppen review