Nguyên Lê Explained

Nguyên Lê
Background:	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Alias:	Lê Hong Nguyên
Birth Date:	14 January 1959
Birth Place:	Paris, France
Genre:	Jazz, jazz fusion
Occupation:	Musician, composer, producer, arranger, sound engineer
Instrument:	Guitar

Nguyên Lê (Vietnamese: Lê Thành Nguyên; born 14 January 1959) is a French jazz musician and composer of Vietnamese ancestry.^[1] His main instrument is guitar, and he also plays bass guitar and guitar synthesizer.^[2]

He has released albums as a leader and as a sideman. His 1996 album Tales from Viêt-Nam blends jazz and traditional Vietnamese music. Nguyên Lê has performed with Randy Brecker, Vince Mendoza, Eric Vloeimans, Carla Bley, Michel Portal, Renaud Garcia-Fons, Per Mathisen, Marc Johnson, Peter Erskine, Trilok Gurtu, Paolo Fresu and Dhafer Youssef.^[3]

In spring 2011 he released Songs of Freedom, an album with cover versions of pop hits from the 1970s.

Bands

• Nguyên Lê Trio
  • Nguyên Lê: guitars, arrangements
  • Michel Alibo

electric bass

• • Karim Ziad

drums, percussion

• Nguyên Lê "Jimi's back"
  • Nguyên Lê: guitars, arrangements
  • Himiko Paganotti: vocals
  • Romain Labaye

bass guitar

• • Gergő Borlai

drums

• Nguyên Lê "Purple"
  • Nguyên Lê: guitars
  • Michel Alibo

bass guitar

• • Terri Lyne Carrington

drums, vocals

• • Aïda Khann

vocals

• • Corin Curschellas

vocals

• • Me'shell Ndegeocello

bass guitar

• • Karim Ziad

percussion

• • Bojan Zulfikarpasic

piano

• Huong Thanh & Nguyên Lê - "Dragonfly"
  • Huong Thanh: vocals
  • Nguyên Lê: guitars, arrangements
  • Hao Nhien: traditional instrument zither
  • Dan Bau: flute, percussion
  • François Verly: percussion, synthesizer
  • Michel Alibo: bass guitar
  • Joël Allouche: drums/percussion
• Nguyên Lê Quartett:
  • Nguyen Le: guitars
  • Paul McCandless

saxophone, clarinet

• • Art Lande

piano

• • Jamey Haddad

percussion

• ELB (Erskine - Lê - Benita)
  • Peter Erskine: drums
  • Nguyên Lê: guitars, guitar synthesizer
  • Michel Benita

double bass

• Nguyên Lê "Songs of Freedom":
  • Nguyen Le: guitars, laptop
  • Himiko Paganotti

vocals

• • Illya Amar

vibes/electronics

• • Romain Labaye

bass, vocals

• • Stephane Galland/Gergo Borlai: drums
• Nguyen Lê & the Dark Side Nine (Celebrating Dark Side of the Moon)
  • Nguyen Lê: guitars, electronics, arrangements
  • Himiko Paganotti: vocals
  • Illya Amar: vibes & electronics
  • Gergo Borlai: drums
  • Romain Labaye: bass guitar
  • Stéphane Guillaume: tenor and soprano sax
  • Sylvain Gontard

trumpet

• • Celine Bonacina

baritone and alto sax

• • Daniel Zimmermann

trombone

• Nguyên Lê Streams Quartet
  • Illya Amar: vibes & electronics
  • Chris Jennings: bass
  • John Hadfield

drums and percussion

Discography

As leader

• 1990: Miracles (Musidisc), with Art Lande, Marc Johnson and Peter Erskine
• 1992: Zanzibar (Musidisc), with Paul McCandless, Joël Allouche
• 1995: Million Waves (ACT), with Dieter Ilg and drummer Danny Gottlieb
• 1996: Tales from Vietnam (ACT), with Huong Thanh, Hao Nhien, Paolo Fresu, Trilok Gurtu, Simon Spang-Hanssen, Michel Benita
• 1997: Three Trios (ACT)
• 1998: Maghreb & Friends (ACT)
• 1999: Moon and Wind (ACT), with Huong Thanh
• 2000: Bakida (ACT), with Renaud Garcia-Fons and Tino di Geraldo featuring Carles Benavent
• 2002: Purple – Celebrating Jimi Hendrix (ACT)
• 2005: Walking on the Tiger's Tail (ACT) with Paul McCandless, Art Lande and Jamey Haddad
• 2006: Homescape (ACT), duos with Paolo Fresu and Dhafer Youssef
• 2007: Fragile Beauty (ACT), with Huong Thanh
• 2009: Saiyuki (ACT)
• 2011: Songs of Freedom (ACT)
• 2014: Celebrating Dark Side of the Moon (ACT)
• 2017: Hà Nội Duo (ACT), featuring Ngo Hong Quang
• 2019: Streams (ACT)

As sideman

With Safy Boutella

• 1992: Mejnoun (Indigo)

Within Uri Caine Ensamble

• 2006: Uri Caine Ensemble Plays Mozart (Winter & Winter)
• 2009: The Othello Syndrome (Winter & Winter)

Within ELB, including with Peter Erskine and Michel Benita

• 2001: ELB (ACT)
• 2008: Dream Flight (ACT), featuring Stéphane Guillaume

Within Andy Emler Mega Octet

• 1992: Head Games (Label Bleu)

With Paolo Fresu

• 1998: Angel (BMG France/RCA Victor)
• 2012: Cinquant'Anni Suonati – 2 (Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso S.p.A.)

With François Moutin and André Ceccarelli

• 1993: Init (Phonogram), featuring Bob Berg

With Cæcilie Norby, Lars Danielsson, and Leszek Możdżer

• 2013: Silent Ways (ACT)

With Romano/Sclavis/Texier + Enrico Rava, Bojan Z

• 2012: 3+3 (Label Bleu)

Within Ultramarine

• 1985: Programme Jungle (Bloomdido)
• 1989: Dé (America)
• 2007: E Si Mala (Universal Music France)

With Dhafer Youssef

• 1999: Malak (Enja), including with Markus Stockhausen, Renaud Garcia-Fons, and Jatinder Thakur

With Tùng Dương

• 2013: Độc đạo (Dihavina)

External links

• • UNESCO International Jazz Day interview Nguyên Lê (English) 2012
• "French-Vietnamese Guitarist Breaks Barriers : For Nguyen Le, More the Merrier", New York Times, January 17, 2001.
• Nguyen Le, MySpace

Notes and References

1. Dominique Auzias, Jean-Paul Labourdette Vietnam 2012-13 - 2012- Page 74 "Compositeurs contemporains : Nguyên Lê. Né à Paris en 1959 de parents vietnamiens : « J'ai oublié le vietnamien en commençant l'école."
2. Web site: Musician Nguyen Le Biography - allaboutjazz.com.
3. Web site: Nguyen Le - jazz guitar - Eer-Music.com.