Boulou Ferré (born Jean-Jacques Ferret, 24 April 1951) is a French virtuoso jazz guitarist, composer, arranger, and improviser. He is the brother of Elios Ferré, also a jazz musician, with whom he has recorded widely. His repertoire includes jazz and classical music. He is considered one of the greatest contemporary musicians of the ''manouche'' (

gypsy jazz Gypsy jazz (also known as sinti jazz, gypsy swing, jazz manouche or hot club-style jazz) is a musical idiom inspired by the Romani people, Romani jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, Jean "Django" Reinhardt (1910–1953), in conjunction with the Fr ...

) tradition and has contributed to the genre through his knowledge of both jazz and classical music and his interest in the contrapuntal music of J. S. Bach.

Music career

Boulou Ferré was born in Paris and came from a family of musicians. His father, Matelo Ferret, and his uncle, Baro Ferret, played with

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani people, Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Belgium, Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist and composer in France. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe ...

in the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. His brother, Elios Ferré, is also a guitarist. By the age of seven, he was playing solos by saxophonist

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

on guitar. When he was eight, he gave his first concert, and when he was twelve he recorded his debut album. In 1962 Ferré enrolled at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

, taking classes in piano,

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

, and organ, the latter under

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...

. Messian was formative in Ferré's approach to

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

, and J. S. Bach, whose music has influenced his approach to composition. After the Conservatore, he became an organist at a Paris cathedral and developed his style of

jazz improvisation Jazz improvisation is the spontaneous invention of melodic solo lines or accompaniment parts in a performance of jazz music. It is one of the defining elements of jazz. Improvisation is composing on the spot, when a singer or instrumentalist inv ...

and composition. When he was 13, Ferré played with

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...

at the Jazz à Juan festival in Antibes. In 1966 he recorded the album ''Paris All-Stars'' with Michel Gaudry, Maurice Vander, and Eddy Louiss. In 1969 he gave a series of recitals at the Chat qui peche Jazz Club with saxophonist

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...

, bassist Patrice Caratini, and drummer

Philly Joe Jones Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American Jazz drumming, jazz drummer. Biography Early career As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio stat ...

. In the 1970s he recorded and played with Bob Reid,

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

Steve Lacy Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya (born May 23, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He gained recognition as the guitarist of the alternative R&B band the Internet, which he joined in 2015. His self-produced debut EP, '' ...

, Gunter Hampel,

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), known professionally as Kenny Clarke and nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride ...

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

, Svend Asmussen, and

Louis Vola Louis Vola ( La Seyne-sur-Mer, France, 6 July 1902 – 15 August 1990, Paris) was a French double-bassist known for his work with the Quintette du Hot Club de France. He is the godfather of guitarist Francois Vola. As well as the Hot Club de ...

. In 1974 Ferré formed the Corporation Gypsy Orchestra with Steve Potts, Christian Escoudé, and pianist Takashi Kako. The group recorded for SteepleChase in 1979. He formed Trio Gitan with Escoudé and Babik Reinhardt and in 1988 with Philippe Combelle. He formed a duo with his brother Elio in 1978 under the name Ferré instead of Ferret. On 10 April 2012, Boulou was made

Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

by Frédéric Mitterrand, French Minister of Culture. In 2015, Boulou Ferré, Elios Ferré and Christophe Astolfi recorded the album ''La Bande des trois'' (When jazz meets French song), released in September 2015 by Label Ouest (L'Autre distribution ).

Jean-Pierre Thiollet Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist. He is also affiliated with the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions, a European trade union. Career Thiollet attended a school in Châtelleraul ...

, ''Improvisation so piano'', Neva Editions, 2017, p. 136.

Discography

* ''The 13 Year Old Sensation from France'' (4 Corners of the World, 1965) * ''Boulou et Les Paris All Stars'' (Barclay, 1966) * ''Espace'' with Gunter Hampel (Birth, 1970) * ''Pour Django'' with Elios Ferré (SteepleChase, 1979) * ''Gypsy Dreams'' with Elios Ferré (SteepleChase, 1980) * ''Trinity'' with

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (; 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist. Biography Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son o ...

, Elios Ferre (SteepleChase, 1983) * ''Three of a Kind'' with Christian Escoude, Babik Reinhardt (JMS, 1985) * ''Nuages'' with Elios Ferre, Jesper Lundgaard (SteepleChase, 1986) * ''Relax and Enjoy'' (SteepleChase, 1987) * ''Confirmation'' (SteepleChase, 1989) * ''Guitar Legacy'' (SteepleChase, 1991) * ''New York, New York'' (SteepleChase, 1997) * ''Intersection'' with Elios Ferré, Alain Jean-Marie (La Lichere, 2002) * ''The Rainbow of Life'' (Bee Jazz, 2003) * ''Shades of a Dream'' (Bee Jazz, 2004) * ''Parisian Passion'' (Bee Jazz, 2005) * ''Live in Montpellier'' with Elios Ferre (Le Chant Du Monde, 2007) * ''Brothers to Brothers'' with Elios Ferre (Plus Loin, 2008) * ''Django 100'' (JMS, 2009) * ''Solo'' (JMS, 2013) * ''La Bande Des Trois'' with Elios Ferre (Label Ouest, 2015)

References

External links

Musical biography of Boulou Ferré at Djangostation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferre, Boulou Living people 1951 births 20th-century French guitarists 21st-century French guitarists French jazz guitarists French male guitarists Gypsy jazz guitarists French composers Musicians from Paris 20th-century French male musicians 21st-century French male musicians French male jazz musicians