Grégory Privat
Virtuoso Jazz Piano with a Caribbean Accent.
The musical tradition of his homeland, Martinique, nourishes the musical lineage of the pianist Grégory Privat, born in 1984.
His earliest musical influence was his father, a pianist who played in one of Martinique's most famous bands, "Malavoi." At the age of six, he was encouraged by his father to start piano lessons. After ten years of classical training, Privat began to compose and improvise, and jazz became his musical home. The next stage was the rigorous school of sessions and gigs in the jazz clubs of Toulouse, where Privat had initially moved for an engineering degree. Armed with this experience, he moved to Paris to make a name for himself in the vibrant, stylistically open jazz scene of the city.
At the age of 27, he gave up his well-paying day job in an office to fully concentrate on his music. Soon, he was playing with renowned colleagues from Guadeloupe, such as saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart, trumpet player and Miles Davis disciple Franck Nicolas, and the Gwoka master, percussionist, and drummer Sonny Troupé, who would become a close companion and friend. Privat also collaborated with giants of the European scene like Stéphane Belmondo, Remi Vignolo, and Guillaume Perret, who is currently making waves with his unique jazz-rock. Recently, Privat also became a member of the Liberetto ensemble led by his Swedish ACT colleague, the world-class bassist Lars Danielsson.
Beyond France, Privat gained attention, especially with his project "Tales of Cyparis" in 2013. "All elements of Caribbean music are within me; they transfer intuitively and naturally into my music. But I always try to explore other horizons, discover different styles every day. Meeting musicians from different cultures is a great privilege. I am very grateful that I can gather such wonderful experiences," says Privat.
