"Stéphane Payen: Born October 10th, 1972 in Thiais (France)

Saxophonist, composer, arranger, artistic director of In'n Out Educator, copyist, producer ... Stéphane Payen began learning music and saxophone at the age of 13 with Eric Régnier. In high school, his meeting with Annick Chartreux was also decisive. He then continued to learn the instrument on his own before studying with Éric Barret. At the same time, he studied with Serge Adam, Benoît Delbecq and reinforced his training during workshops with Philippe Chagne, Pascal Gaubert, Franck Steckar, George Russel, Dave Liebman, Richie Beirach ... In 1993/94, he studied at the Berklee College of Music with Bill Pierce, George Garzone, David Locke, Steve Prosser, Bill Scism ... From 1996 to 2000, he conducted his first orchestras, notably during concerts at the Instants Chavirés organized by the association Mercoledi & Co (Frédéric Bargeon-Briet, Christine Bertocchi, Eric Chalan, Gilles Coronado, Geoffroy De Masure, Guillaume Orti, Gilbert Roggi). Afterwards, he was a member of the Hask collective (with Steve Argüelles, Benoît Delbecq, Hubert Dupont and Guillaume Orti) until 2004 (date of its dissolution).

Today he is best known for his work with Thôt (since 1996) and The Workshop (since 2011). More recently, he has recorded All Set, a quartet he co-leads with Ingrid Laubrock or Morgan The Pirate (a sextet dedicated to the music of Lee Morgan). At the same time, he also performs and records with Guillaume Orti, Daniel Erdmann, with Sylvain Cathala's Print de, Ensemble Nautilis (led by Christophe Rocher), Twins (avec Fred Jackson Jr, Edward Perraud, Frank Rosaly or Makaya Mac Craven as part of The Bridge project), Doug Hammond Quartet, Alban Darche's Orphicube, the Cabaret-Rocher Octet, Izumi Kimura, Ronan Guilfoyle ... As a composer, he's at the crossroads of different aesthetics (jazz, contemporary music, ...).

In addition to the music dedicated to the ensembles he conducts, Stéphane Payen has notably written Dodecahedron for the European Saxophone Ensemble (12 saxophones) and Spring Waves for piano 4 hands (for the Duo Reynaldo). In 2008, the saxophone quartet Xasax created Game. He has also been working for several years on the arrangement of repertoires by 20th century composers such as Hans Werner Henze, György Ligeti, Charles Ives, Luciano Berio ... His writing is also strongly impacted by certain aspects of Carnatic music (South India), Sabar (Senegal) or the Pygmy music of the Central African Republic. He is also a composer for educational purposes. Also very active as a teacher, he has been teaching since 2010 at the CRD of Montreuil and since 2019 at the Pôle Aliénor (Pôle Supérieur de Poitiers). In addition, he has been co-leading (with Barak Schmool) the F-ire Workshops at City University (London) for 12 years and regularly leads workshops and/or master classes in France and abroad (Royal Academy in London, Sibelius Academy in Helsinky, EJMA in Lausanne, Royal Irish Academy and Newpark Music Center in Dublin, Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, Dimajazz Festival in Constantine, Umea Jazz Festival in Sweden ...). From 2009 to 2016, he co-directed the publishing company Independent Border Editions with the aim of creating an international and independent database for the preservation of musical repertoires. This project will finally happen in 2021 through the projects of In'n Out, a structure of which he is the artistic director."

"Originally from Germany, Ingrid Laubrock resides in Brooklyn, NY. Between 1989 and 2009 she was active as a saxophonist and composer in London/UK. She performed and/or recorded with: Anthony Braxton, Dave Douglas, Kenny Wheeler, Jason Moran, Tim Berne, William Parker, Tom Rainey, Mary Halvorson, Kris Davis, Tyshawn Sorey, Craig Taborn, Luc Ex, Django Bates' Human Chain, The Continuum Ensemble and many others.

Ingrid's current projects as a leader are Anti-House, Sleepthief, Ingrid Laubrock Orchestra, Ingrid Laubrock Sextet and Ubatuba. Collaborations include LARK,Haste,Paradoxical Frog and Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey Duo.She is a member of Anthony Braxton's Falling River Music Quartet, Nonet and 12+1tet, Tom Rainey Trio and Obbligato, Andrew Drury's Content Provider, Mary Halvorson Septet, Kris' Davis Quintet, Nate Wooley's Battle Pieces and Luc Ex' Assemblée. Ingrid was one of the featured soloists in Anthony Braxton's opera Trillium J.

Awards include the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation in 2004, a Fellowship in Jazz Composition by the Arts Foundation in 2006, the 2009 SWR German Radio Jazz Prize and the 2014 German Record Critics Quarterly Award. Commissions include Jammy Dodgers for jazz quintet and dancers (2006), Nonet music for Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2007, SWR New Jazz Meeting 2011 and "Vogelfrei", a piece for chamber orchestra (ACO/Tricentric Foundation). She won Rising Star/soprano saxophone in the 2015 in the 'Downbeat Annual Critics Poll and won the 'El Intruso Critics Poll for tenor saxophone in 2013. Ingrid was Improviser in Residence 2012 in the German city Moers. The post is created to introduce creative music into the city throughout the year. As part of this she led a regular improvisation ensemble and taught sound workshops in elementary schools. Other teaching experiences include improvisation workshops at Towson University, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Baruch College, University of Michigan, University of Newcastle and many others."

"Christopher Tordini is an in-demand bassist on the New York City music scene, where he performs with established jazz icons as well as a diverse range of emerging musicians. He has toured and recorded with Andy Milne's Dapp Theory for over 5 years, and has also played in bands led by other renowned artists such as Greg Osby and Jeremy Pelt. Tordini plays often with drummer Ari Hoenig, with the Becca Stevens Band, and is a key collaborator in projects led by drummer/composer Tyshawn Sorey and trombonist/composer Michael Dessen. A graduate of the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Tordini forged strong professional relationships with several faculty members there, including Rory Stuart and George Garzone, with whom he continues to collaborate. Recently, Tordini has performed and recorded with prominent bandleaders such as Steve Lehman, Okkyung Lee, Tigran Hamasyan, Jo-Yu Chen, Mike Pinto, Andrew D'Angelo, Jim Black, and Yaron Herman. He has played at New York City's most prestigious jazz venues, including the Blue Note, the Village Vanguard, the Iridium, the Jazz Standard, Smalls, the Jazz Gallery and the Stone, among many others."

"Thomas "Tom" Rainey (born 1957, Santa Barbara, California) is an American drummer.

After attending Berklee College of Music he moved to New York in 1979. He has played with American jazz saxophonist and composer Tim Berne, and also with Nels Cline, Fred Hersch, Tony Malaby, Tom Varner, Drew Gress, Kenny Werner, Mark Helias, and Simon Nabatov. A prolific session musician, he has appeared on close to eighty recordings over a career spanning over 25 years.

He released his own first album, Pool School (Clean Feed), in 2010."