Boulou Ferré

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. He has a repertoire ranging from classical to jazz music. He is considered as one of the greatest contemporary musicians of the manuche Jazz 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.

Biography

Boulou Ferré was born in Paris into a family of musicians. He learned his craft from his father, Matelo Ferret, himself a guitarist who played with Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. This gave Boulou an early exposure to classical and jazz music. He gave his first solo concert when he was 8 and recorded his first album "Les Nomades" ( released on DECCA) when he was only 11, accompanying Jean Ferrat.

In 1962 Boulou enrolled at the Conservatoire de Paris, taking classes in piano, classical guitar and organ, the latter under Olivier Messiaen. The influence of Messian was formative in Boulou's approach to classical music, counterpoint and the music of J.S. Bach, whose music has influenced Boulou's own approach to composition. After the Conservatore, Boulou became an organist at a Paris cathedral and in parallel developed his own unique style of jazz improvisation and composition.

Career

In 1965 Boulou played with John Coltrane during his concert at the Festival d'Antibes . In 1966 he records his album "Paris all Stars", (with Michel Gaudry, Maurice Vander and Eddy Louiss). 1969 he gave a series of recitals at the Chat qui peche Jazz Club with the Saxophonist Dexter Gordon, Patrice Caratini (bass) and the drummer Philly Joe Jones .

In the 1970s he recorded and played with some of the biggest names in jazz, such as Bob Reid, Chet Baker, Stave Lacy, Gunter Hampel, Kenny Clarke, Warne Marsh, Svend Asmussen and Louis Vola.

In 1974 he set up the Corporation Gypsy Orchestra with Steve Potts, Christian Escoudé and the pianist Takashi Kako. The group recorded with SteepleChase Records in 1979. In the same year he formed a Trio Gitan with Escoudé, Babik Reinhardt, and in 1988 with Philippe Combelle.

Awards

On the 10th of April 2012 Boulou was made Chevalier des arts et lettres by Frédéric Miterrand, the French minister of Culture,

Discography

• Bluesette, Barclay, 1964
• C'est si bon, Barclay, 1964
• Jazz/Left Bank (with les Paris All Stars), Barclay, 1965
• Boulou & les Paris All Stars, Barclay, 1966
• Boulou & The Corporation Gypsy Orchestra, Barclay, 1974
• Pour Django, Steeplechase, 1979
• Gypsy Dreams, Steeplechase, 1980
• Trinity (avec NHOP), Steeplechase, 1983
• Relax and Enjoy (avec Jesper Lundgaard & Ed Thigpen), Steeplechase, 1985
• Nuages (avec Jesper Lundgaard), Steeplechase, 1986
• Confirmation (avec Jesper Lundgaard & Ed Thigpen), Steeplechase, 1989
• Guitar Legacy, Steeplechase, 1991
• New York, New York (avec George Cables, Jay Anderson & Billy Hart), Steeplechase, 1997
• Intersection (avec Alain Jean-Marie), Frémeaux/La Lichère, 2002
• The Rainbow of Life (avec Alain Jean-Marie & Gilles Naturel), Bee Jazz, 2003
• Shades of a Dream (with Ricardo Del Fra ) Bee Jazz, 2004
• Live in Marciac (with Christian Escoudé and Babik Reinhardt), Harmonia Mundi, 2008
• Brothers to Brothers (with Lionel + Stephane Balmondo, P. Boussaguet and A. Jean-Marie) Harmonia Mundi, 2008
• Complete Barclays Recordings, Universal / Universal Music Edition, 2012.

Collaborations

• Avec Gunter Hampel, Espace, Birth, 1970
• Avec Emergency (Glenn Spearman, Takashi Kako, Bob Reid, Sabu Toyozumi), Homage to Peace, America Records, 1973
• Bob Reid presents : The Best of Emergency, Kwela Records, 1976
• Avec Steve Lacy, Dreams, Saravah, 1976
• Avec Matelo Ferret, Tziganskaïa, Vogue, 1978 (rééd. Hot Club Records, 1988)
• Avec Christian Escoudé & Babik Reinhardt, Three of a Kind, JMS, 1985.

External links

• Musical biography of Boulou Ferré at Djangostation