Julien Lourau

Born in Paris in 1970, saxophonist Julien Lourau belongs to the generation of musicians who renewed French jazz from the 1990s onward. Trained on the Paris scene, he made his mark in ensembles such as Laurent Cugny’s big band Lumière and the Orchestre National de Jazz before launching his own projects. With Groove Gang, Julien Lourau developed a repertoire in which jazz opens up to funk, Afro‑Caribbean music and club influences—a direction continued on the albums City Boom Boom (1999) and Gambit (2000), which establish a sound characterized by repetitive grooves and open structures. At the same time, Lourau multiplied collaborations, notably with pianist Bojan Z in a more chamber‑like duo and quartet work, and later explored Afro‑Latin directions with Rumbabierta. His saxophone playing, often rooted in hard bop and modal jazz, incorporates movements between acoustic, electronic textures and free improvisation, placing Julien Lourau at the crossroads of contemporary jazz, urban music and Europe’s experimental scenes.