Benoît Delbecq (born 6 June 1966) is a French pianist and composer.

Early life

Benoît Delbecq was born in

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint-Ge ...

, and raised in a musical environment. He started studying piano in

Bougival Bougival () is a suburban commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located west from the centre of Paris, on the left bank of the River Seine, on the departmental border with Hauts-de-Seine. ...

at the age of seven with Nicolle Mollard, a former student of

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot (; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poeti ...

. He first studied jazz harmony with parisian pianist Jean-Pierre Fouquey, then joined IACP in Paris (in 1982), a jazz and improvised music school founded and directed by bassist

Alan Silva Alan Silva (born Alan Lee da Silva; January 22, 1939 in Bermuda) is an American free jazz double bassist and keyboard player. Biography Silva was born a British subject to an Azorean/Portuguese mother, Irene da Silva, and a black Bermudian fat ...

, while he continued high school and furthermore sound engineering studies. In 1983 he met

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

who encouraged him to work on his own music. As he had become an assistant director for films as well as an assistant in sound engineering, Delbecq finally opted to become a professional musician after attending the

Banff Centre Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

Jazz Workshop, Canada, in the summer of 1987, where he studied with Dave Holland, Steve Coleman and Muhal Richard Abrams among others. He then studied composition and music analysis with

Solange Ancona Solange Ancona (born 14 August 1943 in Paris) is a French composer. Ancona studied at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Paris under Olivier Messiaen and Giacinto Scelsi. She resided at the Villa Medici between 1973 and 1975. After complet ...

at the Versailles National Conservatory, studied with pianist Georges Delvallée at Cachan Conservatory. Together with saxophonist Guillaume Orti from France, he went back again to the Banff Jazz workshop in the summer of 1990 where he studied under the direction of Steve Coleman. There he met peers like pianists Ethan Iverson and Andy Milne, saxophonists Tony Malaby and Jorrit Dijsktra, and trumpeter Ralph Alessi among others, as well as British drummer

Steve Argüelles Stephen Argüelles Clarke (born 16 November 1963) is an English jazz drummer, producer and is the proprietor of the Plush record label. He has also worked in film and theatre. He is the elder brother of saxophonist Julian Argüelles. Steph ...

, a long-term collaborator.

Later life and career

Since 1989, Delbecq has participated in nearly a hundred and fifty records. He performs solo piano and solo electronics ("MadMacs"), leads or co-leads a number of bands from duos to quintets, and is involved in many multi-disciplinary productions of theater, dance, the visual arts, cinema, radio etc.

Awards

Benoît was awarded the ''Prix de la Sacem'' in 1995 (with collective Kartet). He was also awarded the ''Prix de la Villa Médicis Hors les Murs'' in 2001 and the Civitella Foundation (NY) fellowship in 2009. Both ''The Sixth Jump'' and ''Circles and Calligrams'' (songlines) were awarded a ''Grand Prix International de l'Académie Charles Cros'',

Selected discography

As leader/co-leader

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delbecq, Benoit 1966 births Living people Musicians from Paris French jazz pianists French male pianists 20th-century French composers 21st-century French composers French male composers 21st-century pianists 20th-century French male musicians 21st-century French male musicians French male jazz musicians RogueArt artists Psi Records artists