Louis Sclavis

Louis Sclavis
File:Louis Sclavis.jpg Louis Sclavis in 2007
Background information
Born	(1953-02-02) 2 February 1953 Lyon, France
Genres	Jazz, free jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone
Years active	1975–present
Labels	ECM, Label Bleu
Associated acts	Brotherhood of Breath, Henri Texier Quartet

Louis Sclavis (born 2 February 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.

Life and career

Sclavis began his musical education at the conservatoire de Lyon 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 leader in 1985, with his debut album, Clarinettes. In Chine, his second album, 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.

Discography

• Ad Augusta Per Argustia (Nato, 1981)
• Clarinettes (Label Bleu, 1985)
• Chine (Ida, 1987)
• Chamber Music (Ida, 1989)
• Ellington on the Air (Ida, 1991)
• Rouge (ECM, 1991)
• Trio de Clarinettes: Live (FMP/Free Music Production, 1991, with Jacques Di Donato and Armand Angster)
• Acoustic Quartet (ECM, 1994)
• Carnet de Routes (Label Bleu, 1995)
• Ceux qui veillent la nuit (JMS Records, 1996)
• Danses et Autres Scenes (JMS Records, 1998)
• Les Violences de Rameau (ECM, 1996)
• Suite Africaine (Label Bleu, 1999)
• L'Affrontement des Prétendants (ECM, 1999)
• Dans la Nuit (ECM, 2000)
• Napoli's Walls (ECM, 2002)
• Bow River Falls (Koch, 2004) with Dave Douglas, Peggy Lee and Dylan van der Schyff
• Roman, 2004 (with Jean-Marc Montera);
• African Flashback (Label Bleu, 2005)
• L'Imparfait des Langues (ECM, 2007)
• Lost on the Way (ECM, 2009)
• Sources (ECM, 2012)
• Silk And Salt Melodies (ECM, 2014)

Filmography

• 1999: Ça commence aujourd'hui by Bertrand Tavernier (Sony Music France)
• 2002: Un moment de bonheur by Antoine Santana
• 2002: Dans la nuit by Charles Vanel (ECM)
• 2002: Vivre me tue by Jean-Pierre Sinapi
• 2007: Après lui by Gaël Morel
• 2009: Plus tard tu comprendras by Amos Gitaï
• 2009: Portraits-autoportraits by Gilles Porte
• 2011: Roses à crédit by Amos Gitaï

External links

• FMP releases