EMILE PARISIEN . QUINTET SFUMATO

The French saxophonist Emile Parisien, born in 1982, enrolls in Marciac college in 1993, where he enjoys a musical formation with experienced musicians such as Pierre Boussaguet, Guy Laffitte, and Tonton Salut.

Over these years, he has the opportunity to work with several leading figures of jazz: Wynton Marsalis, Chris Mc Bride, Johnny Griffin, or Bobby Hutcherson, who give him the opportunity to play with them on the Marciac Jazz Festival.

From 1996 on, he pursues further his formation at the Conservatoire de Toulouse where he studies classical and contemporary music with Philippe Lecoq.  In 2000, Emile Parisien moves to Paris.  Since then, he has played both in France and abroad with musicians such as Daniel Humair, Michel Portal, Jean-Paul Celea, Jacky Terrasson, Claude Tchamitchian, Yaron Herman, Gueorgui Kornazov, Rémi Vignolo, Manu Codjia, Hervé Sellin, Charlier/Sourisse, Christophe Wallemme and Roberto Negro.

In 2004, he takes part in the creation of the show HIP 11, which mixes jazz and hip-hop dances.  The same year, he asserts his artistic identity by founding the group Emile Parisien Quartet with Julien Touery (piano), Sylvain Darrifourcq (drums) and Ivan Gélugne (double bass).  Inspired by composers of the 20th century, such as Hector Berlioz, Igor Stravinski, Arnold Schönberg, Richard Wagner and John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter or Ornette Coleman, this quartet adds a kind of expressionist character to its music, where improvisation is the guiding principle.  By pushing the limits of the concrete, the group acquires, thanks to the complicity of its musicians, a very personal and resolutely modern expression.

In 2016 Parisien formed a quintet with the German pianist Joachim Kûhn, the Portuguese drummer Mario Costa and the French Manu Codjia on guitar and Simon Tailleu on the double bass, who with the guests Michel Portal (bass clarinet) and Vincent Peirani (accordion) recorded the famous album “Sfumato” which was voted by “Victoires du Jazz” the record of the year in France, and was strongly acclaimed throughout Europe.

In 2012 Emile Parisien was elected “best french musician of the year” by the Académie du Jazz and in 2014 he won the “Victoires de la Musique” for his record in duo “belle époque” with Vincent Peirani and the “Victoires du Jazz” for best artist.

The leading French newspaper Le Monde has called him “the best new thing that has happened in European jazz for a long time,”

From: www.emileparisien.com/biography; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Portal