Sylvain Luc (born 7 April 1965) is a French jazz guitarist. He tours regularly but rarely appears in high-profile jazz festivals. He is particularly attracted to duets, but he has also been seen in trios (his own, plus Trio Sud, and on tour in 2009 with

Steve Gadd Stephen Kendall Gadd (born April 9, 1945) is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the '' Modern ...

and

Richard Bona Richard Bona (born 28 October 1967) is a Cameroon-born American multi-instrumentalist and singer. Early life Bona Penda Nya Yuma Elolo was born in Minta, Cameroon, into a family of musicians, which enabled him to start learning music from a y ...

) and rarely with larger groups. His best-known works are the two duet albums with

Biréli Lagrène Biréli Lagrène (born 4 September 1966) is a French jazz guitarist who came to prominence in the 1980s for his Django Reinhardt–influenced style. He often performs in swing, jazz fusion, and post-bop styles. Biography Lagrène was born in ...

, with whom he has toured many times.

Biography

Childhood and musical studies

Luc was born in Bayonne,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, the youngest of three brothers. He studied at the prestigious Academy de Bayonne as a child, mastering the guitar, cello, violin, and mandolin. His two elder brothers (Gérard, the eldest, playing the accordion and Serge, playing drums) were both musicians who regularly played in balls. At the age of 4, he laid his hands on a toy guitar with only three strings left on it and was allowed to accompany his brothers on rehearsals. Even at such a young age, he was able to play accurate

chords Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord ( ...

. As a result, he started touring with his brothers playing balls at a very early age. Being immersed in a musical environment, he was regularly in touch with other musicians. One of them, the late Joe Rossi (who taught accordion to his elder brother Gérard), suggested that he to listen to (and offered him an LP of)

Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...

('' Portraits of Duke Ellington''). This, and other encounters at his parents' home (in particular guitar player Michel Ducau-Lucart, who offered him his first guitar), led him to listen to, and appreciate, jazz music. At age 9 he performed for the first time on an album with his brothers ('' Elgarrekin''), and played in the first part of a concert of

Joe Dassin Joseph Ira Dassin (; 5 November 1938 – 20 August 1980) was an American–French singer-songwriter and actor. He was the son of film director Jules Dassin. Early life Dassin was born in New York City to American film director Jules Dassin (19 ...

with a local group. He also entered the

conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

of Bayonne. While the guitar is his instrument of choice, there were no courses for the guitar at the conservatoire, so he chose to study

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

instead, and gained a taste for classical music. Luc has commented that his study of the Cello helped him build strength in his fingers which was beneficial for guitar. At age 12, he performed on a second album with his brothers, '' Oinakarin''. He also became fluent with other instruments along the way, including the mandolin, the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

and the bass.

Beginning of solo career

At age 15, Luc formed a jazz group called the "Bulle Quintet," and quickly gained recognition. Two years later, in 1982, he and his group were elected laureate of the international festival of San Sebastian. He quickly became the most sought-after guitarist and bassist in the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

region and began to tour regularly. In 1985, he met Marie-Ange Damestoy and became her guitarist, arranger and composer. Two years later, in 1987, they were nominated revelation of the

Printemps de Bourges Le Printemps de Bourges is an annual music festival that is held in Bourges, France, over the course of five days. It is now a major event in France and Europe. History The festival was created in 1977 (by , , and ). With its span of 35 years ...

Paris and after

In 1988, he settled in Paris and became an arranger, composer and accompanist to many different French artists, including

Catherine Lara Catherine Lara (born Catherine Bodet; 29 May 1945) is a French violinist, composer, singer, and author. Over a career spanning more than five decades, she has established herself as an icon in French pop/rock music as well as the neo-classical g ...

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, all while being the bassist for the Richard Galliano trio. In 1999, he founded Trio Sud with

André Ceccarelli André "Dédé" Ceccarelli (born 5 January 1946) is a French jazz drummer. Biography After learning to play the drums from his father, Ceccarelli started out playing in the salons of the Hotel Royal Nice Promenade des Anglais at the age of fi ...

and Jean-Marc Jafet, an ensemble with which he obtained the French Music Award for Jazz as best group of the year in 2003. Since 2006, he has worked in quartets with

Didier Lockwood Didier Lockwood (11 February 1956 – 18 February 2018) was a French violinist. He played in the French rock band Magma in the 1970s, and was known for his use of electric amplification and his experimentation with different sounds on the electri ...

, Victor Bailey and

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the ''Mode ...

. In 2009 he toured across Europe with

and

. Among the musicians he has played with are Al Jarreau, Dee Dee Bridgewater,

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...

Erkan Oğur Erkan Oğur (pronounced ) (born April 17, 1954) is a Turkish musician. A pioneer of fretless guitars, he invented the first fretless classical guitar in 1976.Martinelli, op. cit.Unfretted, op. cit. A composer, he has influenced many musicians wit ...

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Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...

, Stéphane Belmondo,

Manu Katché Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958) is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusion ...

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 ...

, Bobby Thomas Jr.,

Andy Sheppard Andy Sheppard (born 20 January 1957) is a British jazz saxophonist and composer. He has been awarded several prizes at the British Jazz Awards, and has worked with some notable figures in contemporary jazz, including Gil Evans, Carla Bley, ...

Jacky Terrasson Jacky Terrasson (born November 27, 1965) is a French jazz pianist and composer. Background Terrasson's mother is African-American from Georgia, and his father is French. From his parents he heard classical music as a child. He began piano lesson ...

, Jean-Marc Jafet, Alain Caron,

John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaug ...

, Bernard Lubat, Lokua Kanza, Richard Galliano, Steve Lukather,

, Victor Bailey, Dario Chiazzolino, Larry Coryell, Al Di Meola, and

Tommy Emmanuel William Thomas Emmanuel (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian guitarist. Regarded as one of the greatest acoustic guitarists of all time, he is known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and use of percussive effects on ...

Instruments

Sylvain mostly plays Godin Multiac guitars, both the nylon and steel string versions. He also, but less frequently, plays with the Godin 5th Avenue series (he is seen with a black 5th Avenue guitar on his album ''Standards''). He also plays classical guitars.

Style

Sylvain plays mostly plays

fingerstyle Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with a single plect ...

, even with a steel string guitar, and sometimes uses a

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harps ...

, often switching during the course of a single song. Luc sometimes detunes the sixth (and even fifth) strings of his guitars (sometimes up to an octave below normal), both to emulate a bass sound while accompanying and to accompany himself in solos.

Discography

As leader

* ''Piaia'' (Transat, 1993) * ''Petits deja...'' with Louis Winsberg (Bleu Citron, 1994) * ''Terre Indigo'' with

(PolyGram, 1996) * ''Duet'' with Bireli Lagrene (Dreyfus, 1999) * ''Ameskeri'' with Stephane Belmondo (Shai, 1999) * ''Piaia Naia'' with Francis Lassus (Disques Concord, 1999) * ''Sud'' with Trio Sud (Dreyfus, 2000) * ''Nahia'' (Pygmalion, 2000) * ''Trio Sud'' (Dreyfus, 2002) * ''Solo Ambre'' (Dreyfus, 2003) * ''Joko'' (Dreyfus, 2006) * ''Young and Fine'' with Trio Sud (Dreyfus, 2008) * ''Standards'' (Dreyfus, 2009) * ''Organic'' with Andre Ceccarelli (Dreyfus, 2011) * ''Roots & Wings'' with

Phil Abraham Phil Abraham is an American cinematographer and television director. He worked on all six seasons of ''The Sopranos'', initially as a camera operator, then as a cinematographer and eventually as an episodic director. He won the 2008 Primetime Emm ...

(Challenge, 2014) * ''Giu' La Testa'' with Stefano di Battista (Just Looking, 2014) * ''La Vie En Rose'' with Richard Galliano (Le Chant du Monde, 2015) * ''D'une Rive a L'autre'' with Marylise Florid (Jade, 2019) * ''2.0'' with Stephane Belmondo (Naive, 2019) *''By Renaud Letang'' (Just Looking Productions, 2021)

As sideman

With Andre Ceccarelli * ''61:32'' (BMG, 1999) * ''Carte Blanche'' (Dreyfus, 2004) * ''Ultimo'' (EmArcy/Universal, 2012) * ''Twelve Years Ago'' (Bonsai Music, 2013) With others *

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...

, ''Jazznavour'' (EMI, 1998) * Gerard Berliner, ''Heureux'' (Une Musique, 1997) *

, ''The Ten Shades of Blues'' (EmArcy/Universal, 2009) * Patrick Bruel, ''Juste Avante'' (RCA, 1999) *

Edith Butler Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and vari ...

, ''Madame Butlerfly'' (Kappa, 2003) * Richard Galliano, ''New Jazz Musette'' (Ponderosa, 2016) * Jean Guidoni, ''Aux Tourniquets Des Grands Cafes'' (Malambo, 1990) * Jean Guidoni, ''Vertigo Paradoxe,'' (Polygram, 1995) * Francoise Hardy, ''Le Danger'' (Virgin, 1996) *

Jacques Higelin Jacques Joseph Victor Higelin (; 18 October 1940 – 6 April 2018) was a French pop singer who rose to prominence in the early 1970s. Early life Higelin was born on 18 October 1940. His father, Paul, a railway worker and musician of Alsatian de ...

, ''Aux Heros De La Voltige'' (EMI, 1994) * Jean-Marc Jafet, ''Live Au Parc Floral'' (RDC, 1996) * Jean-Marc Jafet, ''Mes Anges'' (Cristal, 2004) *

Jairo Jairo is a common Spanish name. Notable people with this name include: People Association football *Francisco Jairo Silva Santos (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Jairo Aguirre (born 1956), Colombian footballer *Jairo Álvarez Gutiérrez (born ...

, ''Live Bataclan'' (Malambo, 1988) * Lokua Kanza, ''3'' (RCA, 1998) * Lokua Kanza, ''Plus Vivant'' (EmArcy/Universal, 2005) *

, ''Melomanie'' (Guy Cloutier, 1997) * Catherine Lara, ''Aral'' (XXL, 1999) * Philippe Leotard, ''A L'amour Comme a La Guerre (Chansons)'' (Gorgone, 1990) *

Linda Lewis Linda Ann Fredericks (born 27 September 1950), better known as Linda Lewis, is an English vocalist, songwriter and guitarist. She is the eldest of six children, three of whom also had singing careers. She is best known for the singles "Rock-a- ...

, ''Second Nature'' (Sony, 1995) *

, ''Onztet De Violon Jazz'' (JMS, 1994) * Didier Lockwood, ''For Stephane'' (Ames, 2008) * Vincent Peirani, ''Gunung Sebatu'' (Zig Zag, 2010) *

William Sheller William Sheller (born William Desboeuf on 9 July 1946) is a French classical composer and singer-songwriter. A prominent artist of French popular music since the 1970s, William Sheller has the particularity of being one of the few singers of Fre ...

, ''Avatars'' (Mercury, 2008) * Fabienne Thibeault, ''Martin De Touraine'' (A.D.L., 1996) * Trio Chemirani, ''Invite Accords'' (Croises, 2011)

References

External links

*
Sylvain Luc, Joko , Jazz and blues
Guardian Unlimited Music, 8 December 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Luc, Sylvain 20th-century guitarists 21st-century guitarists French jazz guitarists French male guitarists Gypsy jazz guitarists French jazz composers Male jazz composers People from Bayonne 1965 births Living people 20th-century French male musicians 21st-century French male musicians