Doudou Gouirand (born April 28, 1940) is a French

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Early career

Gouirand was living in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

when he met the great trumpeter and

Don Cherry, who gave him the opportunity to study and work with him in

and

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

and eventually throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. This experience developed Gouirand's interest in and knowledge of Indian and African music, and World music in general. Cherry's interest in

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Colle ...

led Gouirand to become interested in improvised music as well. Working with Cherry gave Gouirand the opportunity to meet J. M’Bizo Dyani, Okay Temiz,

Trilok Gurtu Trilok Gurtu (born 30 October 1951) is an Indian percussionist and composer whose work has blended the music of India with jazz fusion and world music. He has worked with Terje Rypdal, Gary Moore, John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek, Joe Zawinul, M ...

, Djaya-Deva, Bobo Stenson, and Palle Danielsson, some of whom he worked with later in his career. This musical experience and his

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

roots inspired Gouirand to meld his Mediterranean culture with contemporary

. When Gouirand returned to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the late 1970s, he worked for a period of time with Okay Temiz's "Oriental Wind" and Brazilian singer-songwriters Teca and Ricardo.

Recording and composing

Gouirand then began to compose and record regularly, first for JAM. His first album, ''Islands'' (1981), featured Chris Mc Gregor on

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

. In 1982, Gouirand appeared on Dyani's album ''Grand Mother's Teaching'', a selection of music with jazz and South African roots. The albums ''Mouvements Naturels'' (1982) and ''Chanting & Dancing'' (1985) were recorded with his new group World Music Company, and feature

Pierre Dorge Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, Johnny Dyani, Sangoma Everett and Cheikh Tidiane Fall. Gouirand recorded ''Forgotten Tales'' (VDS/52° rue, 1986), an album of original material which features Don Cherry. This record was re-issued in November 2000 by Great Winds/Musea. During the following years, Gouirand explored new directions with ''Space'' (VDS/52° rue), a trio album with

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 ...

on piano and Michel Marre on trumpet, then ''La Nuit de Wounded Knee'' (Blue Line, 1990) with Bobo Stenson,

Aldo Romano Aldo Romano (born 16 January 1941) is an Italian jazz drummer. He also founded a rock group in 1971. Biography He was born in Belluno, Italy. Romano moved to France as a child and by the 1950s he was playing guitar and drums professionally in P ...

and Palle Danielsson—dedicated to native Americans, and ''Le Matin d'un Fauve'' (AA/WMD, 1994) again with Mal Waldron and Michel Marre. With the very successful ''Nino Rota/Fellini'' album (Deux Z/Harmonia Mundi, 1995), acclaimed arrangement and composition work done around Nino Rota's film music, he explored a more European and typically Mediterranean idiom, while keeping a lot of improvisation. Between 1996 and 1998, he toured in

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

with "Third Dimension", a trio with Mal Waldron and vocalist Jeanne Lee. The group did not release any recordings. His album ''Passages'' (June 1999, distributed by Harmonia Mundi) features Rita Marcotulli, JJ Avenel, J. Allouche, plus Elise Caron (vocals) and

Kevin Davy Kevin G. Davy (born 29 October 1961, Nottingham, UK) is a British jazz trumpeter/flugelhorn player, composer, arranger and bandleader. He has recorded with and toured with Finley Quaye, Lamb, Adam F and Lemn Sissay's Secret Society. He has led t ...

(trumpet). Gouirand has presented a number of special projects, including one based on the compositions of Nino Rota, a project built around

Lapland Lapland may refer to: Places *Lapland or Sápmi, an ethno-cultural region stretching over northern Fennoscandia (parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia) **Lapland (Finland) (''Lappi''/''Lappland''), a Finnish region *** Lapland (former pr ...

music with singer Inga Yuuso, and various works with African musicians.

Recent activities

''Les Saisons du Paradis'', an ode to

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

with original music and texts from Jean Giono, was produced in 2000-2002. Associated improvisers ''Garrigues-Sahel'', a stage project including traditional African musicians and French jazz improvisers in September 1999, led to the 2000 record project ''Les Racines du Ciel'' (BMG, May 2002), with the subsequent stage group "Indigo Song". In 2006 he issued a record with the group "Aumja", an attempt to mix creative aspects from Indian and Mediterranean music which included a set of new personal compositions. The group was co-led with

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...

player Brigitte Menon. In 2007, he published ''Boleros'', a project that was prepared a year in advance and recorded on his second trip to Santiago de Cuba, where he blends his saxophone with the traditional and modern

Bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

and

Nueva Trova Nueva Trova (, "new trova") is a movement in Cuban music that emerged around 1967/68 after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, and the consequent political and social changes. Nueva Trova has its roots in the traditional trova, but differs from it beca ...

. Gouirand has performed extensively in concert and at festivals in France and worldwide with Don Cherry, Mal Waldron, Jeanne Lee, J. M’Bizo Dyani,

, Palle Danielsson, Bobo Stenson,

, and also with Paul Bley,

Jim Pepper Jim Gilbert Pepper II (June 18, 1941 – February 10, 1992) was a jazz saxophonist, composer and singer of Kaw and Muscogee Creek Native American heritage. He moved to New York City in 1964, where he came to prominence in the late 1960s as a mem ...

, Dino Saluzzi, and Lester Bowie.

Selected discography

* ''Islands'' (1981), with Chris Mc Gregor, Michel Benita, J.C. Montredon and Lelle Kullgren * ''Mouvements naturels'' (1982), with Johny Dyani, M. Benita, JC Montredon, Merzak Mouthana,

* ''Chanting & Dancing'' (1985), live with J. Dyani,

, Sangoma Everett, Cheikh Tidiane Fall * ''Space'' (1985) with

and Michel Marre (VDS/52e rue Est), CD VDS/Media 7 (1987) * ''La nuit de Wounded Knee'' (1990), with Bobo Stenson, Palle Danielsson,

(Blue Line) * ''Nino Rota/Fellini'' (1995, Deux Z), in collaboration with Gérard Pansanel * ''Le Matin d’un Fauve'' (1995, AA records), with Mal Waldron and Michel Marre * ''Passages'' (1999, Deux Z), with Rita Marcotulli, Jean-Jacques Avenel, Joël Allouche,

and Elise Caron * ''Indigo Song - Les Racines du Ciel'' (2002, RDC/Plume/BMG), with Cheikh Tidiane Seck, Baptiste Trotignon, G. Pansanel, Hadja Kouyate, Yakhouba Sissoko, Ali Boulo Santo, Moriba Koita, A. Wague, S. Everett, J.J. Avenel,

, Pinise Saul, Pibo Marques, Marcia Escoffery, Samir Toukour * ''Mythologies'' (2006), with Brigitte Menon and Aumja (DOM Disques) * ''Boleros'' (2007), recorded in Santiago de Cuba.

References

External links

Aumja Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gouirand, Doudou Jazz alto saxophonists Jazz soprano saxophonists French jazz composers Male jazz composers French jazz saxophonists Male saxophonists 1940 births Living people 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century French male musicians