| Édouard Ferlet | |
| Origin: | France |
| Instrument: | Piano |
| Genre: | Jazz, Classical music |
| Occupation: | Composer, Bandleader, Pianist |
| Years Active: | 1992 – present |
| Label: | Melisse |
| Website: | ferlet.com |
Édouard Ferlet is a pianist of the French jazz scene.
Ferlet began playing piano at the age of 7 and studied classical music at l’École Normale de Musique de Paris, and later on at the Conservatoire regional. In the late eighties, he moved to Boston, US, and studied piano under renowned teachers: Herb Pomeroy, Hal Crook, Ed Tomassi, Ray Santisi, Ed Bedner. In 1992, he graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Jazz Composition and was awarded the Berklee jazz performance award.[1]
Back in France, he worked as a composer for a variety of TV programs and gained a sound experience in the field thanks to the diversity of the commissions he had to face. He rapidly recorded two albums under his name: Escale and Zazimut featuring key artists of the new European jazz generation: Médéric Collignon, Christophe Monniot, Simon Spang-Hanssen, Claus Stotter, François Verly, Gary Brunton.
In 2000, he met the bassist Jean-Philippe Viret with whom he recorded three albums in 6 years (Considérations, Étant Donnés and L’Indicible), as well as a DVD and a CD distributed exclusively in Japan. In a few years, this trio, under the label Sketch, was nominated for the Django d'or, les Victoires de la Musique (French Grammy Awards) and obtained great critiques in the media.[2] At the same time, he continued to play with singers from various backgrounds: Mark Murphy in Jazz, Manda Djin in Gospel, Geoffrey Oryema in World Music and Lambert Wilson in cabaret. He successfully conducted the musical direction for Julia Migenes' show Alter Ego.[3] This allowed him to tour all over the world: China,[4] Canada, Germany, Spain, France. He received praise for his sensitivity and his artistic commitment during musical interludes.[1]
In 2006 Édouard Ferlet and Benjamin Gratton founded Melisse, a French contemporary jazz label.[5] The label supports Ferlet's and other innovative jazzmen's works who share the same musical vision, and has produced albums by Issam Krimi, the Jean-Philippe Viret Trio, François Raulin /Stéphan Oliva, as well as Édouard Ferlet himself.[6]