France-Canada Distinguished Visitor: Baptiste Trotignon, jazz pianist and composer with Jazz 12tet and Small Jazz Ensembles

The University of Toronto 12tet and Small Jazz Ensembles
France Cultural Exchange Visitor in Jazz: Baptiste Trotignon

Jim Lewis, director
William Carn, director
Hannah Barstow, director

Livestream available on the Faculty of Music YouTube channel.

PROGRAM

Will Carn Ensemble

Stablemates
Benny Golson

Train Shuffle
Tom Harrell

Hannah Barstow Ensemble

It’s Only a Paper Moon
Harold Arlen

Suite Part 5
Baptiste Trotignon

Intermission

The University of Toronto 12tet – Jim Lewis

First Song
Baptiste Trotignon arr. Zane Shihadeh

Gone
Baptiste Trotignon arr. Dylan Pilcher

Dexter
Baptiste Trotignon arr. Angela Pincente

Moods
Baptiste Trotignon

Massassoit
Baptiste Trotignon

Will Carn Ensemble

Voice: Magda Baraczka

Alto Sax: Jorge Salas Navaraez 

Trumpet: Arthur Jones                 

Guitar: Ben Strumas   

Piano: Jon Guan                              

Bass: Kieran Menard  

Drums: Elnoe Budiman

Hannah Barstow Ensemble

Voice: Gracie Singh-Yuz                             

Sax: David Durowaye  

Guitar: Victor Wang

Piano: Micah Weekes

Bass:  Kieran Menard

Drums: Elnoe Budiman

The University of Toronto 12tet

Voice: Magda Baraczka

Alto: Avshalom Ravitz-Hiller

Tenor: Lauchlin Wood

Tenor: Leon Macabenta

Bari:  Justin Hay

Trumpet: Dylan Pilcher

Trumpet: Arthur Jones

Trombone: Angela Pincente

Trombone: Tibor Stojanovic

Guitar: Karan Dadlani

Piano: Zane Shihadeh

Bass: Sean Croal

Drums: Sahej Singh Rai

BIOGRAPHY

Baptiste Trotignon studied piano and classical music since the age of six and discovered jazz and improvisation as a teenager. His first two trio albums in the early 2000’s (followed by two solo piano albums which both received major public and critical acclaim) brought him to people’s attention as one of the most spectacular member of a new generation of pianists, and brought him to perform at many major international venues. He won many awards: Prix Django Reinhardt, Best French Newcomer at 2003 Victoires du Jazz, Grand Prix at the 2002 Martial Solal International Piano Competition... Over the years that followed he developed a number of eclectic encounters, performing alongside with artists like Tom Harrell, Stefano Di Battista, Aldo Romano or Brad Mehldau. After his first «american» album recorded in New York in 2008 («Share»), he received in 2011 the Sacem’s Grand Prix for his work as a composer, and then released in 2012 a stunningly bold album, «Song Song Song», on which he celebrated his love of the vocalist’s art and invited great artists like Melody Gardot. At the same time he creates his first Piano Concerto «Different Spaces» with Nicholas Angelich. In 2014, the 40-year-old musician «Le Monde» has described as «a lesson, a model, perfection from A to Z» continues to play a resolutely openminded and imaginative music by returning to the trio format with «Hit», inviting master of groove Jeff Ballard. In 2016, while he’s releasing a gorgeous original project mixing jazz and classical music on Kurt Weill with Kate Lindsey («Thousands of miles», acclaimed by «New-York Times»), he signs with the major label company SonyMusic, releasing first two co-leaded albums showing his love for South-American musical traditions: «Chimichurri» with argentinian percussionist Minino Garay and «Ancestral Memories» with cuban saxophonist Yosvany Terry. In 2018, he receives the prestigious Echo Jazz award in Germany as Best Instrumentalist-Keyboards category, and creates his first symphonic piece «Hiatus et turbulences» with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France , and his second piece for Piano and Orchestra «L’air de rien», concert where he also plays for the first time Mozart 1st Piano Concertobefore playing a bit later the 9th Concerto «JeuneHomme»! 

His album «You’ve changed» is getting released in 2019: new songs played solo piano and an incredible series of duets with guests like Joe Lovano, Avishai Cohen, Ibrahim Maalouf, Camélia Jordana... After 2 years spent mainly on orchestral composition («Move», his Trumpet Concerto for Romain Leleu, and «Anima» his first symphony ), he joins back in 2023 record label Naïve with «Brexit Music», 100% jazz groove trio with songs from UK pop music from Beatles to Radiohead ! In 2024, 3 albums are synthesizing the multi-faceted personality of the pianist-composer: jazz with “PianoForte”, 4 pianists project with Eric Legnini, Bojan Z and Pierre De Bethmann; classical music with “Ces messieurs…” his 2nd String Quartet; and the french songs album “PianoVoix”, recorded as a duet with the deep voice of the singer of Feu Chatterton, Arthur Teboul. Some of the musicians he has played and/or worked with: (alphabetical order) Jeanne Added, Natalie Dessay, Stefano Di Battista, Avishai Cohen, Melody Gardot, Thomas Enhco, Tom Harrell, Camelia Jordana, Angelique Kidjo, Bireli Lagrène, Joe Lovano, Ibrahim Maalouf, Brad Mehldau, Christophe Miossec, Milton Nascimento, Vincent Peirani, Michel Portal, Enrico Rava, Aldo Romano, Archie Shepp, Arthur Teboul, Alexandre Tharaud, Kenny Wheeler, Van Kuijk String Quartet... And also l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, l’Orchestre National d’Ile-de-France, le Stuttgart Philharmoniker, Sascha Goetzel, Ariane Matiakh...

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special Thanks to the DGR for supporting the France Cultural exchange

And Carloyne Sumner for time and effort in making this visit happen.