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 avant-garde jazz, free jazz, free improvisation and contemporary classical.
Life and career
He was born in Lyon, France. Sclavis played with the Henri Texier Quartet.
He has won numerous awards, including: the PRIX DJANGO REINHARDT âÂÂbest French jazz musicianâ (1988); First Prize in the Barcelona Biennale (1989); the British Jazz award at the Midem for âÂÂBest Foreign Artistâ (1990/91); the DJANGO DâÂÂOR âÂÂBest French jazz record of the yearâ (1993); and the GRAND PRIX SACEM 2009.
He was one of the first to combine jazz with French folk music, working most prominently with the hurdy-gurdy player Valentin Clastrier.
His latest album India (Yolk Records, 2025) is a direct reference to the title of his 1987 album Chine. The nine compositions of him have been recorded in Novembre 2024 by the new Louis Sclavis Quintet: Sarah Murcia on double bass, Benjamin Moussay on piano, Olivier Laisney on trumpet and Christophe Lavergne on drums.
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, 1991)
- Acoustic Quartet (ECM, 1994)
- Carnet de Routes (Label Bleu, 1995)
- Ceux qui veillent la nuit (JMS, 1996)
- Danses et Autres Scenes (JMS, 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)
- Roman, (2004);
- African Flashback (Label Bleu, 2005)
- L'Imparfait des Langues (ECM, 2007)
- Lost on the Way (ECM, 2009)
- Eldorado Trio (Clean Feed, 2010)
- Sources (ECM, 2012)
- Silk and Salt Melodies (ECM, 2014)
- Characters On A Wall (ECM, 2019)
- Les Cadances Du Monde (JMS-Cream, 2022)
- Langues Et Lueurs (Yolk Records, 2023) avec Jean-Paul Delore & Sebastien Boisseau
- Unfolding (ECM Records, 2023) Duo avec Benjamin Moussay
- India (Yolk Records, 2025) avec Sarah Murcia, Benjamin Moussay, Olivier Laisney, Christophe Lavergne
Filmography
References
External links