Léon Francioli (22 May 1946 – 9 March 2016Lausanner Jazzmusiker Léon Francioli gestorben
/ref>) was a Swiss double bass player and cellist.

Life and career

Born in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, Switzerland, Léon Francioli studied piano and double bass at the

Lausanne Conservatory The Haute école de musique de Lausanne (HEMU, known as Institute of Advanced Musical Studies prior to 2010, founded in 1861 as Conservatoire de Lausanne) is a Swiss music school located in Romandy, the French-speaking western part of Switzerland ...

. He became famous in Switzerland as a

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

player, after he started to work with

Beb Guérin Bernard "Beb" Guérin (December 22, 1941 in La Rochelle – November 14, 1980 in Paris) was a French jazz double-bassist. Beb Guérin first began playing bass at age 23, working in the 1960s with Sonny Criss, Jacques Coursil, François Tusques, Al ...

, Pierre Favre,

Bernard Vitet Bernard Vitet (26 May 1934 – 3 July 2013) was a French trumpeter, multi-instrumentist and composer, co-founder of the first free jazz band in France (1964) together with François Tusques, Michel Portal Unit (1972) and Un Drame Musical Instanta ...

and

George Gruntz George Gruntz (24 June 1932 – 10 January 2013) was a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist, and composer known for the George Gruntz Concert Big Band and his work with Phil Woods, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker ...

in the 1970s. In 1972 he performed with these musicians and with

Michel Portal Michel Portal (born 27 November 1935) is a French composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist. He plays both jazz and classical music and is considered to be "one of the architects of modern European jazz". Early life Portal was born in Bayonne on 27 ...

at the Festival de Châteauvallon. In 1970 he recorded with

Alan Skidmore Alan Richard James Skidmore (born 21 April 1942) is an English jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore. Career He was born in London, England. Skidmore began his professional career in his teens, and early in his care ...

and

Pierre Cullaz Pierre Cullaz (21 July 1935 – 1 January 2014) was a French jazz guitarist and cellist. Pierre Cullaz was the son of Maurice Cullaz, a jazz writer, and the older brother of Alby Cullaz. After he learned piano and cello in 1949, he moved to guit ...

. In 1976 he toured and recorded as a duo with Favre. In 1979, he played for the soundtrack of les petites figures. That same year he performed at the Jazz Festival Willisau in a trio with drummer Jerry Chardonnens and trombonist Radu Malfatti. In 1981, Francioli established the group Sunnymoon together with

Werner Lüdi Werner Lüdi (April 22, 1936 – June 21, 2000) was a Swiss jazz musician (alto saxophone, alto- and baritone saxophone) and author. Biography Lüdi was born on April 22, 1936 in Poschiavo. He spent the early years of his life in Val Poschiavo ...

Stephan Wittwer Stephan Wittwer (1 March 1953 – 18 September 2024) was a Swiss experimental musician, improvisor and composer. Earlier, his main instruments were electric and classical guitar, amplifier and recording studio, but in later years, his instrument wa ...

and Fredy Studer. He also played in 1980 in the albums of Favre,

and Jerry Chardonnens for

Hathut Records Hathut Records is a Swiss record company and label founded by Werner Xavier Uehlinger in 1974 that specializes in jazz and classical music. The name of the label comes from the artwork of Klaus Baumgartner. Hathut encompasses the labels hat ART, ...

. He played also in Trio with the trombonist

Albert Mangelsdorff Albert Mangelsdorff (September 5, 1928 – July 25, 2005) was a German jazz trombonist. Working mainly in free jazz, he was an innovator in multiphonics. Early life Mangelsdorff was born in Frankfurt on September 5, 1928, as the son of the book ...

(Triple Entente, 1982) along with Jean-François Bovard. He founded in 1984 the Francioli-Bovard Orchestra and played in the Sextet of the pianist François Lindemann. In 1985 he became a member of the trio of the pianist Alex Theus. At the beginning of 90s, Francioli worked with

Joe McPhee Joe McPhee (born November 3, 1939) is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who plays the tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, the trumpet, the flugelhorn and the valve trombone. Although born in Miami, Florida, McPhee grew up in Poughkeepsie, ...

(Linear B) and Mario Schiano (And So On). In 2007, he appeared along with Alex Theus and Daniel Bourquin in the Schaffhausen Jazz Festival.

References

External links

Schaffhauser Jazzfestival 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francioli, Leon Jazz bass guitarists Swiss film score composers Swiss jazz musicians 1946 births 2016 deaths Intakt Records artists Lausanne Conservatory alumni