Laurent Coulondre
Biography Laurent Coulondre
Laurent Coulondre
was born in Nîmes (France) in 1989. At 4 years old, he began music playing drums and soon acquired a sense of rhythm that will never leave him. A few years later he definitely took up playing the piano.
When Laurent turned 9, he discovered jazz with the pianist Stéphane Kochoyan and performed with the local big band opening for big names such as Marcus Miller, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Al Jarreau or Michel Legrand.
In 2010, he graduated from the National Conservatory of Toulouse with a Jazz DEM and became a bachelor in Musicology at Toulouse University. During these years of training, he made an Erasmus stay in Spain where he studied at the Superior Conservatory of Catalonia and developed a passion for organ playing over there. He also deepened his experience with the Jazz in Marciac Orchestra. Laurent recorded his first album « OPUS I » and launched himself with his trio on the road of music competitions. He is a Soloist First Prize and Winner of the Didier Lockwood European Contest, Winner of the Jazz in Castello and Jazz en Baie Competition. The same year he discovered and experienced the life of Parisian jazzmen and recorded in 2013 his second album « OPUS II ». Gradually recognized by the jazz community, he was called upon to play and record as a sideman with musicians such as Paul Jackson, Nicolas Folmer, Sylvain Beuf, Stéphane Huchard, Pierre de Bethmann...
In 2014 he embarked on a new recording project, developing a new and original concept of reversible trio in which he presents himself performing at the piano as well as the organ. The trio won the National Jazz à la Défense Competition. In addition, Laurent was voted Spedidam Generation Artist (2014-2017), and also Adami Jazz Talent Prizewinner (2015). That same year, the album « SCHIZOPHRENIA » was released on Sound Surveyor, which propelled the trio on the stages of major jazz festivals, for example opening for Sting at Jazz in Vienne, Jazz in Marciac, at l’Olympia opening for Lisa Simone, Nancy Jazz Pulsations, Paris Jazz Festival (FR) but also in Tokyo Jazz (JP), London Jazz (UK)...
In 2016, winner of the prestigious « Best New Artist Award » at « Les Victoires du Jazz » (the French Grammy Awards) and also prizewinner of the Lagardère Foundation, Laurent kept touring in major venues such as the Cully Jazz (CH), Amersfoort Jazz (NL), Getxo Jazz (ES), Jazz sous les pommiers (FR), Elbjazz Festival (DE), Jazz a la Pedrera (ES), IF Alger (DZ)...
In 2017, our renowned keyboardist summoned the best French drummers (André Ceccarelli, Martin Wangermée, Yoann Serra and Cyril Atef) for explosive duos, Keys & Drums, around a new album « GRAVITY ZERØ », released on Sound Surveyor. From then on, concerts would follow one another at a frantic pace both nationally (Jazz à Ramatuelle, Monaco Jazz Festival, Jazz à St Germain des prés, Jazz à Junas...) and internationally (Small Jazz Club (NY), Toronto Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, Rimouski Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival (CA), London Jazz Festival (UK), Winter Jazz Fest (US), North Sea Jazz, So What’s Next (NL), Moods (CH)...).
In 2018, the adventure continues with an extensive tour in China (CN) playing ten dates from Beijing to Harbin while passing by Shenyang, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Fuzhou,
Hangzhou, Dalian and Xiamen to eventually perform in Taiwan (TW) but also many dates in Europe and France including its overseas territories.
In 2019, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Michel Petrucciani’s death, Laurent paid tribute to an artist whose impact on his career was one of the deepest and most influential. He teamed up with Jérémy Bruyère (bass and double bass) and André Ceccarelli (drums) to revive the repertoire of the pianist with glass bones in his new album « MICHEL ON MY MIND », released on 23/08/2019 by New World Production / L'autre Distribution. A long tour followed for the Trio, flying from nationally renowned venues and festivals (Festival Jazz à Saint Germain, Maisons Laffitte Jazz Festival, Festival Jazz au fil de l’Oise, Nîmes Métropole Jazz Festival, Jazz au Phare, Festival Au grès du Jazz, Jazz à Clamart, Sceaux What, Salle Pleyel...) to international ones (Tokyo Jazz Festival (JP)...). The same year, he was awarded the « French Album of the Year » (2020) by the Académie du Jazz for his album « MICHEL ON MY MIND », was endorsed as a Yamaha Artist and received valuable support from the BNP Paribas Foundation for the development of his artistic projects.
In 2020, the artist walks off with other trophies: after topping the « French Musician of the Year » category of Jazz Magazine’s Annual Critics Poll and being featured on the February 2020 cover of the magazine, he wins the second « Victoire du Jazz » of his career in the « Best Instrumental Performance » category... one of the greatest accolades for a jazz musician!
