Louis Sclavis

Born in Lyon in 1953, Louis Sclavis has, since the 1970s, built a central career in European jazz, situated between free improvisation, contemporary composition and more narrative musical forms. A clarinettist, bass clarinettist, soprano saxophonist and composer, he first became involved in the Lyon scene associated with ARFI before extending his work to various ensembles—from duo to quintet, as well as orchestra projects and music for silent film. His musical language mixes free jazz, chamber music, folk traditions and open composition, with particular attention to timbre, counterpoint and collective dynamics. Over the course of his career he has played and recorded with musicians such as Michel Portal, Henri Texier, Enrico Rava, Dominique Pifarély and Vincent Courtois, while also leading his own groups. His discography under his own name includes Rouge (1991), Les Violences de Rameau (1996), Napoli’s Walls (2002), Silk and Salt Melodies (2014) and Characters on a Wall (2019). Louis Sclavis therefore occupies a singular position where jazz engages in dialogue with contemporary composition and collective improvisation.