Stéphane Belmondo (; born July 8, 1967) is a French

jazz trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

ist, and

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

. Including recordings made with his brother Lionel Belmondo and

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in the United States. Although Lateef's main i ...

, he won the best French album category ''(L'Album français de l'année)'' in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and the best artist award ''(L'Artiste ou la Formation instrumentale française de l'année)'' in 2003 and 2004. in the French '' Victoires du Jazz'' awards. Along with his brother, he is noted for tribute albums that involve the musicians being honored.

Biography

The Belmondo family say music came naturally to Stephane, before he could even speak. His father, Yvan, was proud of his son, but inflexible when it came down to his musical education. As a former

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

, he understood the necessity of discipline and practicing music requires. He was able to instill these values into his son from an early age and Belmondo quickly adopted these principles. He first started with

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

and

percussion instruments A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

at the age of 6,

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

at 8, and took up the

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

at age 10. He studied accordion and

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

at the

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...

Conservatory of Music, before being admitted to the trumpet class of the

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

Conservatory at 16. Belmondo was 14 when he finally took the stage with his

joining the big band led by his father and brother Lionel who played

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

. When he and his brother started a

quintet A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...

, Belmondo was 15 years old. When Belmondo arrived in Paris to pursue his career, he met pianist René Urtreger, who gave him many opportunities to share the stage, notably with famed double-bassist

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 ...

. He also worked with

Pierre Michelot Pierre Michelot (3 March 1928 – 3 July 2005) was a French jazz double bass player and arranger. Early life Michelot was born in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Paris on 3 March 1928. He studied piano from 1936 to 1938, and switched to playing ...

and

Al Levitt Alan Levitt (November 11, 1932 – November 28, 1994) was an American jazz drummer. Career Levitt was born in New York City to Ben Levitt (1908–1941) and Florence Cohen Levitt (1912–1950). Early in life he showed an interest in music. In th ...

, among many others. In 1987, shortly after his arrival in Paris, he joined Laurent Cugny's big band, Lumière. Cugny had convinced arranger

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian Americans, Canadian–American jazz pianist, Music arranger, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators i ...

to come to France and work on the orchestra's repertoire. The collaboration resulted in two albums ''Rhythm-A-Ning'' and a European tour where Belmondo also recorded and performed with. From 1987 to 1990, he played with pianist

Kirk Lightsey Kirkland "Kirk" Lightsey (born 15 February 1937), is an American jazz pianist. Biography Lightsey had piano instruction from the age of five and studied piano and clarinet through high school. After serving in the army, Lightsey worked in Detr ...

quartet In music, a quartet (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quar ...

and

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

Pierre Boussaguet's

, which also featured his brother and

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 ...

. Working with Boussaguet led to the release of an album called ''Jazz aux Remparts'' featuring one of Belmondo's idols, the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

trumpeter

Tom Harrell Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) is an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and arranger. Voted Trumpeter of the Year of 2018 by ''Jazz Journalists Association'', Harrell has won awards and grants throughout his career, including mul ...

. Belmondo joined

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

’s big

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

and took part in 1992

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

at the Olympia, where Legrand and

Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands. ...

appeared together for the first time. In 1992, he participated in the album ''Legrand/Grappelli'' with Legrand and Grapelli. He toured with them around the world. In 1994, Belmondo played in

Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...

's trio and recorded the album ''Love and Peace'' with them in 1995, which featured Jimmy Smith. In the same year, Belmondo moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He continued touring with Dee Dee Bridgewater in the US, including shows at the Newport Festival and the

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. During his stay in New York, he played with many musicians, including

Al Foster Aloysius Tyrone Foster (January 18, 1943 – May 28, 2025) was an American jazz drummer. Foster's professional career began in the mid-1960s, when he played and recorded with hard bop and Swing music, swing musicians including Blue Mitchell and ...

, Mark Turner,

Lew Tabackin Lewis Barry Tabackin (born March 26, 1940) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist. He is married to pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi with whom he has co-led large ensembles since the 1970s. Biography Tabackin started learning flute at age 1 ...

, Donald Brown, and

Franck Amsallem Franck Amsallem is a French-American jazz pianist, arranger, composer, singer and educator. He was born in 1961 in Oran, French Algeria, but grew up in Nice, France. Early years Amsallem was born in Oran (Algeria) to Elie Amsallem (1922-2019) an ...

. He recorded with pianist Donald Brown and his quartet performed at the

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

. In 2002, in celebration of the fifteenth anniversary of

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 ...

's death, Belmondo performed with Jean-Louis Rassinfosse and

Philip Catherine Philip Catherine (born 27 October 1942) is a Belgian jazz rock guitarist. Biography Philip Catherine was born in London, England, to an English mother and Belgian father, and was raised in Brussels, Belgium. His grandfather was a violinist i ...

, two of Baker’s former partners. Returning to Paris, he recorded his first

solo album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century ...

''Wonderland'' in 2004, interpreting a collection of

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

songs. This album won Belmondo two ''Victoires du Jazz'' awards in France, in 2005. Belmondo Winning ''Victoires du Jazz'' Awards in 2005 Belmondo met the saxophone and

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

player

and they together made an album called ''Influence'' (2005). Shortly after this, his group, including Lateef, toured Europe and around the world until 2008. In 2008, Belmondo recorded with the great Brazilian singer,

Milton Nascimento Milton Silva Campos do Nascimento (; born October 26, 1942), also known as Bituca, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Nascimento has recorded 32 studio albums and has won five Grammy Awards, including Best World Music ...

and they toured together. Belmondo was also part of the development of new

bugle The bugle is a simple signaling brass instrument with a wide conical bore. It normally has no valves or other pitch-altering devices, and is thus limited to its natural harmonic notes, and pitch is controlled entirely by varying the air a ...

and trumpet models which are marketed under the name "Concept TT" by the instrument maker Selmer.

Discography

* As leader (or co-leader) ** 2021 : Belmondo Quintet '' Brotherhood'' ** 2016 : Stephane Belmondo &

("Terramondo"), ''

Mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

'' (Impulse, ASIN : B01IQECAXQ) ** 2015 : Stephane Belmondo, "Love for Chet" (Naive - ASIN: B00QU79TCM) ** 2013 : Stephane Belmondo, "Ever After" (Emarcy/Universal Music France) ** 2011 : Stephane Belmondo, "The Same As It Never Was Before" (Verve/Universal) ** 2009 : Belmondo Quintet, "Infinity Live" (B-Flat recordings/Discograph) ** 2008 : Belmondo &

(B-Flat recordings/Discograph) ** 2005 : Belmondo &

, ''Influence'' (B-Flat recordings/Discograph)-Les Victoires du Jazz 2006 : meilleur album français ** 2004 : Stephane Belmondo, ''Wonderland'' (B-Flat recordings/Discograph)-Les Victoires du Jazz 2005 : meilleur album français; meilleur artiste. ** 2003 : Belmondo, ''Hymne au Soleil'' (B-Flat recordings/Discograph)-Les Victoires du Jazz 2004 : meilleur album français; meilleur artiste; prix du public ** 2000 : Belmondo Quintet, ''Live au Plana'' (Plana Prod) ** 2000 : Stephane Belmondo & Creative Art Trio, ''Endless Love'' (C.A.E Vulkan Records) ** 1999 : Belmondo Quintet, ''Infinity'' (Shaï records) ** 1999 : Stephane Belmondo et Sylvain Luc, ''Ameskery'' (Shaï records) ** 1994 : Belmondo Quintet, ''For all friends'' (Challenge) (Réf : CHR70016)-Prix Django Reinhardt de l' Académie du jazz : meilleur musicien français. ** 1993 : Lionel et Stephane Belmondo, ''Quintet'', Jazz à Reims (auto-production) * As sideman ** 2021 :

Philippe Gaillot Philippe Gaillot (born 28 February 1965) is a French former professional footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, Ame ...

- "CassIstanmbul" - (That Sound Records) **2018 :

- "Be Cool" - (Ilona Records – LIR 8369345) **2010 :

Yael Naim Yael Naim (; born 6 February 1978) is a French-born Israeli singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2008 in the US after her hit single "New Soul" was used by Apple Inc., Apple in an advertising campaign for its MacBook Air. The song peaked at N ...

, "She was a boy" (Tôt ou Tard) ** 2009 :

Aldo Romano Aldo Romano (born 16 January 1941) is an Italian jazz drummer. He also founded a Rock and roll, 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 profe ...

, "Origine" (Dreyfus Jazz) ** 2009 : Daniel Mille, "L'attente" (Universal Music France) ** 2009 : Avishai Cohen, "Aurora" (Blue Note-EMI Music France) ** 2008 : François Théberge Group with Lee Konitz, "Soliloque" (Cristal Records) ** 2008 : Boulou & Elios Ferré, "Brothers to Brothers" (

Nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' "of the night") was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

) ** 2008 :

Étienne M'Bappé Étienne, a French analog of Stephen or Steven, is a masculine given name. An archaic variant of the name, prevalent up to the mid-17th century, is Estienne. Étienne, Etienne, Ettiene or Ettienne may refer to: People Artists and entertainers * ...

, "Su La Take" (O+ Evolution-EMI) ** 2008 : Omar Sosa, "Afreecanos" (Otá Records/Harmonia Mundi) ** 2008 : Ji Mob, "Power to the people" (Comet Records-Nocturne) ** 2008 : Valery Graschaire, "Finally" (Cristal Records) ** 2007 : Samy Thiebault, "Gaya Scienza" (B-Flat recordings/Discograph) ** 2007 :

Dré Pallemaerts {{Short description, Name list Dre is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Dre Allen (born 1975), American musician *Dre Babinski (born 1985), American musician *Dre Barnes, American football player *Dré Bly (born 1977), American f ...

, "Pan Harmonie" (B-Flat recordings/Discograph) ** 2007 : Catia Werneck, "Catia canta Jobim" (Poission Heads) ** 2006 : Boulou & Elios Ferré, "Live in Montpellier" (Le Chant du Monde-Harmonia Mundi) ** 2006 :

Éric Legnini Éric Legnini (born 20 February 1970 in Huy, near Liège, Belgium) is a Belgian jazz pianist and bandleader of the Éric Legnini Trio. Legnini was born into an artistic family from Italy. The family immigrated to Belgium, where he started playin ...

, "Big Boogaloo" (Label Bleu) ** 2006 : Stéphane Spira, "First Page" (BeeJazz Records) (Réf : BEE012) ** 2005 : Sophie Alour, "Insulaire" (Nocturne) (Réf : NTCD381 - NT098) ** 2005 : Boulou & Elios Ferré, "Parisian Passion" (BeeJazz Records-Abeille Music) (Réf : BEE015) ** 2005 :

, "A Week in Paris-A tribute to Strayhorn" (Nocturne) (Réf : NTCD383) ** 2005 : Kayna Samet, "Entre Deux Je" (Barclay-Universal) ** 2005 : Nu Tropic, "Você Sabe" (Nocturne) ** 2005 : Psycho, "There must be a revolution somewhere" (Mind & Fat Records) ** 2005 : Doctor L, "The real thing" (Mind & Fat Records) ** 2005 : Doctor L, "Not your Frequency" (Mind & Fat Records) ** 2005 : Jefferson, "Sweet Rendez Vous" (Nocturne) ** 2004 : Daniel Mille, "Après la pluie" (Universal Music France) ** 2004 : Carine Bonnefoy, "Something to change" (Cristal Records) ** 2004 : Christophe Dal Sasso, "Ouverture" (Nocturne) (Réf : NTCD351) ** 2004 :

Claude Nougaro Claude Nougaro (, ; 9 September 1929 – 4 March 2004) was a French jazz singer and poet. Life and career Claude Nougaro was born on 9 September 1929 in Toulouse to a respected French opera singer, Pierre Nougaro, and a piano teacher, Liette ...

, "La Note Bleue" (Blue Note) ** 2004 : L’Âme des Poètes, "Prénoms d’Amour" (Sowarex asbl) ** 2003 : François Théberge, "Elénar" (Effendi) ** 2003 :

Jean-Louis Murat Jean-Louis Bergheaud (28 January 1952 – 25 May 2023), better known by the stage name Jean-Louis Murat, was a French musician. Life Jean-Louis Bergheaud was born in Chamalières, France to a father who was a carpenter and a non-professional ...

, "Lilith" (Labels) ** 2003 : Doctor L, "Monkey Dizzyness" (Fat Recordings) ** 2002 : Olivier Témime, "Saï Saï Saï" (Elabeth) ** 2002 : François Théberge 5 featuring Lee, "Music of Konitz" (Effendi) ** 2001 : Amalgam-Olivier Renne Quintet, “Osiris” (Shaï records) ** 2000 : Jean-Marc Jafet, "Douceur Lunaire" (RDC Records/Mélodie) ** 1999 :

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 ...

4tet+, "61:32" (RCA Victor-BMG France) ** 1999 : Chic Hot, "Satyagraha" (Lusafrica/Musisoft) ** 1999 : Andy Emler, "Sombritude" (Casa/Disques Concord) ** 1999 : François Théberge and The Medium Band, (Round Records) ** 1999 : Donald Brown, "Enchanté" (Space Time Records) ** 1998 :

Frédéric Galliano Frédéric and Frédérick are the French versions of the common male given name Frederick. They may refer to: In artistry: * Frédéric Back, Canadian award-winning animator * Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor * Frédéric Bazille, Impress ...

Electronic Sextet, "Live Infinis" (F-Com) ** 1998 : Manu Pekar & Big Band Passages featuring

Dave Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received a ...

, "New Songs" (Gorgone Productions) ** 1997 : François Théberge, "Asteur" (Lazer Prod) ** 1997 : Frédéric Galliano, "Espaces Baroques" (F-Com) ** 1995 : Gilles Naturel, "Naturel" (JMS) ** 1995 :

Big Band (Verve-Universal) ** 1995 :

, '' Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver'' (Verve) (Réf : 527 470-2) ** 1994 : Orchestre National de Jazz dirigé par Laurent Cugny, "Yesternow" (Verve-Polygram) ** 1994 :

Alain Bashung Alain Bashung (born Alain Claude Baschung, ; 1 December 1947 – 14 March 2009) was a French singer, songwriter and actor. Credited with reviving the French chanson in "a time of French musical turmoil", he is often regarded as the most importan ...

" Chatterton" (Barclay) ** 1994 : Jean Marc Jafet, "Agora" (JMS) ** 1994 : Jean-Loup Longnon, "Cyclades" (JMS) ** 1994 :

Peter Kingsbery Peter Kingsbery (born December 2, 1952) is an American singer-songwriter who co-founded the band Cock Robin in the 1980s. He grew up in Austin (Texas) where he studied classical music. He moved to Nashville (Tennessee) where he began his care ...

, “Once in a million” (Barclay) ** 1994 :

Marcel Azzola Marcel Azzola (10 July 1927 – 21 January 2019) was a French accordionist. He performed with Stan Getz and Jacques Brel, among others. The famous line "" ("Heat up, Marcel") in Brel's song "Vesoul" refers to Azzola, who played the accordion duri ...

, "L'Accordéoniste, Hommage à Édith Piaf" (Verve-Polygram) ** 1994 : Michel Precastelli, "Marazul" (CC Production/Harmonia Mundi) ** 1993 : Simon Goubert, "Couleurs de peaux" (Seventh Records) (Réf : SEVENTH A XII) ** 1993 : Jean-Michel Pilc, "Big one" (EMP) ** 1993 : Elisabeth Kontomanou (EMP) ** 1993 : Laurent Cugny Big Band Lumière, "Dromesko" (EmArcy-Polygram) ** 1992 : Michel Legrand et

, "Legrand/Grappelli" (Verve-Polygram) ** 1991 : Pierre Boussaguet 5tet Special Guest

(Jazz aux Remparts) ** 1991 : Abus, "Manège" (Musiclip) ** 1990 : Laurent Cugny Big Band Lumière, "Santander" (EmArcy-Polygram) ** 1989 : Marcel Zanini featuring Sam Woodyard, "Patchwork" (That's Jazz) ** 1989 :

et Laurent Cugny Big Band Lumière, "Golden hair" (EmArcy-Polygram) ** 1988 : Gil Evans et Laurent Cugny Big Band Lumière, "Rhythm a ning" (EmArcy-Polygram) * Compilations : ** 1989 : Johnny Walker & Jazz, ''Live in Paris''

References

External links

Belmondo official website

Video interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belmondo, Stephane 1967 births Living people People from Hyères French jazz trumpeters French male trumpeters Jazz flugelhornists 21st-century French trumpeters 21st-century French male musicians French male jazz musicians