Henri Texier - Essential Quartet

On April 10, 2026, Henri Texier presents his Essential Quartet at Le Triton in Les Lilas. A double bassist, composer and bandleader born in Paris in 1945, he established himself on the French jazz scene as early as the 1960s, combining post‑bop, free jazz and European improvisation alongside François Jeanneau, Jean‑Luc Ponty, Aldo Romano and Don Cherry. Since then he has led his own groups, often in quartet or quintet format, and has shaped a personal repertoire evidenced by milestones such as Amir, Varech, An Indian’s Week and Mosaic Man.

With the Essential Quartet, Texier returns to the core of his language: a mobile, melodic double bass, a clear rhythmic foundation, and written themes that leave room for improvisation. Modal colors, echoes of traditional musics and a taste for collective interplay structure an acoustic music that moves through dynamics, between sustained melody, pulse and space. One hears that blend of listening and freedom that runs through his career: a four‑way conversation, precise without stiffness, open without losing focus, where the writing serves as a springboard for the playing. A direct and lively way to capture the essence of Texier’s sound, in quartet.