Alexandra Grimal

Between contemporary jazz and improvised music, Alexandra Grimal develops a practice in which saxophone and voice occupy a central place in the exploration of timbres and open forms. Born in 1978 in Cairo and based in France, the saxophonist and composer trained notably at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris and later in the Netherlands, before establishing herself on European jazz and experimental music stages. Alexandra Grimal leads various projects in trio, quartet and solo formats, navigating between precise writing, spaces of silence and free improvisation, and regularly works with the Orchestre national de jazz and contemporary-creation ensembles. Her compositional work extends to pieces for orchestra, chamber formations and voice, often at the border between contemporary music and improvised musics. Present at numerous festivals and clubs across Europe, she alternates concerts, recordings and creative residencies, building over the years a body of work where formal research, a poetic dimension and attention to sound in the moment intersect.