MARC SARRAZY (France) – Pianist, Composer, Writer

Born in 1970 in Paris, Marc Sarrazy studied piano and composition since 1976. After some folk-rock experiences in the middle 80’s, he chose jazz since 1989. His style is a combination between a neo-impressionism touch ala Satie / Debussy and free experimentations inherited from European contemporary jazz.

He lived two years in East Africa (1994-6) where he opened his mind to traditional Ethiopian and Yemen music. After mostly piano solo works in the 1990’s, Sarrazy started new collaborations and projects since 2000.

Then, he played with pianist Joachim Kühn, Alexei Aigui & Ensemble 4’33 (Moscow), the violin jazz player Gerhard Putschlögl (Germany), Laurent Rochelle, bass players Yves Romain and Jan Roder, in the Improjazz Kollektief, with Palo Alto & composer Denis Frajerman, The Sputnik Project, a.o.

In 2003, he founded a new quartet (the Marc SARRAZY Quartet) with Austrian trumpet player Paul Scwhingenschlögl, bass player Hanns Höhn and drummer Dieter Arnold (Francfort). The quartet mostly performed in France and Germany. They had a big success in the Berliner Jazz Keller in October 2005.

Marc Sarrazy was invited at the Sergey Kuryokhin International Festival in Saint-Petersburg and made a tour with Russian jazzmen and electronica new scene (Sergey Letov, Vladislav Makarov, Alexey Borisov from Notchnoï Prospekt and Volga, Valentina Ponomareva, 4’33 Ensemble…) crossing Saint-Petersburg, Moscow and Smolensk (April & May 2006).

Since 2006, Marc Sarrazy had formed a new duo with Laurent Rochelle (clarinette basse, sax soprano, mélodica, samplers). They recorded the CD « Intranquillité » in 2007 (linoleum-records.com ).

In the spring 2010, they made a trio with drummer Eric Boccalini, playing their new program « African Project around Abdullah Ibrahim and Mulatu Astatke ». They played several concerts, including for the Rio Loco Festival in Toulouse in June.

In 2011 and 2012, Marc Sarrazy toured in Belgique and in France with Laurent Rochelle (bcl, ss, mélodica), Anja Kowalski (voc), Isabelle Sainte-Rose (cello), Audrey Lauro (as) and Yannick Dupont (dm, laptop) for cine-concerts projects « Histoires sans paroles » and « La Nuit des Corps Vivants ».

Besides his musical activities, Marc Sarrazy is a writer and jazz journalist. He has a long collaboration with the French magazine Improjazz since the issue # 2 (February 1994) and just published a book about the German pianist Joachim Kühn and history of European modern jazz (Editions Syllepse, 2003), and some litteraries novels in different books.

He is actually finishing on a big book on “Jazz & New music from Russia & Siberia, Central Asia, Baltics, Caucasus, Sub-carpatic countries and Mongolia”.

Discography :

> Marc SARRAZY Quartet : « Intranquillité » (Linoleum Records lin 008), 2007

> Marc SARRAZY Quartet : « Louis XIV Love’s Trance » (Rucilo Records 01160), 2004

> Marc SARRAZY / Paul SCWHINGENSCHLÖGL Duo : « Le Growl » CD (Demi-Lune dml 001)

> Marc SARRAZY Quartet feat. Joachim KÜHN: « K » CD (Demi-Lune dml 002), 2003

> Marc SARRAZY Trio : « Virus 124 » (Demi-Lune dml 003, ), 2003

> TOTAL JUNGLE ORCHESTRA : « Rhythms Workshops » (Demi-Lune dml HS02), 2004