artists 2011

David Murray was introduced to music by his mother, a member of a church choir in Oakland and not at all keen on the jazz idiom which her son found so appealing. One of the most important figures in the jazz world, Murray collaborated with prominent musicians from all over the world over the course of his long career, recording more than 250 albums, more than half of them in his own name. He has also written music for film and theatre, as well as two operas, and is much admired for his orchestration, demonstrating a remarkable talent in combining jazz with symphonic and choral music.

Ludovico Einaudi was born in Turin and studied composition and piano at the Milan Conservatoire, and then under Luciano Berio, one of the most important avant-garde composers of the 20^th century. He has been described as a minimalist, a term he accepts although, as he says, he hates to be pigeonholed. ‘But the term minimalism suggest a certain elegance and breadth of spirit, so I would rather be known as a minimalist than anything else’. An internationally recognized musician, he has performed in some of the world’s major concert venues, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Verona Arena, and has cooperated with artists from other musical genres, most notably Sir Paul McCartney. He has also had an important career in the recording studio, with the albums Le Onde, Divenire and the most recent, Nightbook, as well as in film and television, composing award-winning soundtracks – the most popular being Dr Zhivago in 2002 and This is England in 2006. His sound is highly distinctive, with influences from rock, electronic and other idioms, ensuring him the devotion of a large and diverse audience. He is frequently ranked very high on internet polls of favourite artists, and has received a number of significant awards, including the Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana.

The music of Parisian Renaud Garcia-Fons is an extraordinary blend of classical, jazz and ethnic music. His ambition is always to open up new horizons, to preserve his freedom of expression, even when this means breaking technical rules to create something different. In a musical environment that tends to see the double bass as an accompanying instrument, Garcia-Fons has added a fifth string to the bass and elevated it to equal ranking with other instruments. Improvisation and composition are both equally important in his search for musical expression, allowing him a forum for creativity and spiritual enrichment. As a member of the Orchestre de Contrebasses and the Orchestre National de Jazz he has worked with eminent figures in the European and American jazz worlds, including Micheal Riessier, Michel Portal, Mino Cinelu and Steve Swallow.

FR

Dimanche/Colline de Sani
Renaud Garcia-Fons
Sa musique est un formidable mélange de musiques classique, jazz et traditionnelle.Le contrebassiste parisien, Renaud Garcia-Fons, ouvre par la magie de ses sons denouvelles portes dans le monde de la musique. Son ambition est celle de la recherched’une expressivité toujours libre, même s’il doit pour cela casser certaines règles pourcréer « autre chose ». Dans un monde musical où la contrebasse a tendance à êtreconsidérée comme un instrument d’accompagnement, R. Garcia-Fons a ajouté unecinquième corde à son instrument, le hissant à un rang égal à celui des instrumentssolistes.L’improvisation et la composition jouent un rôle essentiel pour l’expression musicale etlui permettent de devenir encore plus créatif, ainsi que de s’enrichir spirituellement.En tant que membre de l’Orchestre de contrebasses et de l’Orchestre national de Jazz, ila collaboré avec des grands noms du jazz français et américain, comme Michel Riessier,Michel Portal, Mino Cinelu et Steve Mallow.