Martial Solal | Artist
Martial Solal was an Algerian-French jazz pianist and composer born 1927 in Algiers, French Algeria. Solal's intuitive approach to improvisation has earned him an honored place among the greatest minds in French jazz. Thoroughly versed in traditional forms from New Orleans to big-band swing to bop to post-bop and beyond, Solal also composed chamber music, in addition to scores for more than 20 films, and recorded more than 70 albums as soloist and leader. Perhaps his most famous work, which tends to overshadow all others, is his memorable soundtrack to the 1960 Jean-Luc Godard film "Breathless" (À bout de souffle), which was one of the leading films of the French New Wave. Solal was persuaded to study clarinet, saxophone, and piano by his mother, who was an opera singer. He was expelled from school in 1942 because of his parents' Jewish ancestry. Algeria was a French colony, and the Vichy regime in France was following Nazi policies. Solal educated himself after having studied classical music in school, by listening to music on the radio. When he was 15, he performed publicly for United States Army audiences. After settling in Paris in 1950, he began working with Django Reinhardt and U.S. expatriates such as Sidney Bechet and Don Byas. He formed a quartet in the late 1950s, although he had been recording as a leader since 1953. Solal then began composing film music, eventually providing over 20 scores. In 1963, he made an 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 with overdubbed applause. At this time, his trio included bassist Guy Pedersen and drummer Daniel Humair. From 1968, he performed and recorded with Lee Konitz in Europe and the U.S. His jazz approach was described by Jean-Pierre Thiollet as "brilliant, unique and intellectual" He has said of his technique: "You have to make people believe that it's very easy, even when it's very difficult". Although he was a student of the great 20th century modern composers such as Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, Alban Berg, and Olivier Messiaen, his early influences on piano were Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, and Art Tatum, followed by Erroll Garner, Bud Powell, and Bill Evans. Both Oscar Peterson and Duke Ellington held Solal in highest esteem, and as a composer he is clearly descended from both Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Solal was a prodigious recording artist, with over 60 studio albums in his discography. Some standouts include Electrode - Martial Solal joue Michel Magne (1966), Movability (1976), Martial Solal Big Band (1981), Big Band (1984), and À bout de souffle (2012). In his later years Solal reflected on his good fortune to score the iconic film "Breathless" which today is still to be seen on the art house circuit. Its cult status has been earning Solal royalties for years. "I tell people it's like I won the Lotto," Solal laughs. "It was very fantastic luck for me, because back in 1959 when I did it, I was mainly known for being the house pianist in the St Germain des Prés jazz club".
Artist Website: wikipedia/Martial_Solal
Featured Albums: Martial Solal
Related Artists: Lee Konitz, Stephane Grappelli, Martial Solal Big Band
