"Benoît Delbecq was born in St Germain en Laye (F), June 6, 1966. He lives in Bondy, near Paris. A dreamer and an adventurer in music, pianist/composer/producer Benoît Delbecq has been one of the activists of Hask (1992-2004) and Astrolab (1994-1999), two Paris-based cutting-edge jazz/improv collectives that have contributed to significantly revitalize the french creative music scene around the club Instants Chavirés in Montreuil/Paris. His music and projects include works for theater, dance, litterature, visual arts and motion pictures, that are being regularly invited by major festivals worldwide. He has released about 35 records as a leader or co-leader among a discography of more than a hundred discs.

Anchored in both jazz history as well as in aesthetical stakes of today's new musics, Delbecq's works are world-widely acclaimed since the early nineties. He is a renown specialist for a personal and polymetric approach of "prepared piano", and has also an regular activity in the electronic department. His works are experimenting a blend of improvisation and composition in which he reveals a rich pallet of sounds, enlightened by stratas of multiple momentums, articulations and seemingly floating harmonies. Inspired by alternative urban musical experiments and electronic music adventures, he also improvises a personal approach of drum'n bass and ambient.

Benoît was awarded 'Prix jeunes affiches de la SACEM' in 1995 with group KARTET, prix de la Villa Médicis Hors-les-murs 2001 for his first solo piano recording " Nu-Turn " (Songlines, 2003), was awarded with the fellowship of Civitella Fundation (New York, 2009), was awarded in 2010 a double Grand Prix International du Disque (Académie Charles Cros, the French Grammy Awards), and his trio CD "The Sixth Jump " (Songlines) was listed in the New York Times top ten jazz/pop records of 2010. His works for the Fred Hersch/Benoît Delbecq FUN HOUSE double trio (premiered and recorded in May 2012, to be released FEB 2013) have recently received the French Ministère de la Culture " Commande d'Etat " funding. Recently he was commissioned by JAZZTOPAD Festival in Wroclaw (Poland) for a new piece for the Lutoslawski String Quartet and two improvisers (Miles Perkin on bass and himself on piano)."

"Born in 1958, Yves Robert studied flute and trombone at the Vichy Conservatory for 9 years. He feels very quickly attracted by jazz, his energy, and the feeling of spirited freedom that he provides. To celebrate and dream of being, he decides to be virtuoso and works with multiple sound techniques (multiphonies, slaps, continuous breath, aspiration,) History to be unmatched adaptable and appreciated.

After, comes the time of the conquests: In 1981, he joined the ARFI (Association for the Research of an Imaginary Folklore) in Lyon, and the GRIM in Marseille in 1983 and organizes musical meetings, concerts, festivals, educational workshops. Talented improviser, he became a reference trombonist of contemporary jazz and played on the biggest stages of Europe with among others Bernard Lubat, Chris Mc Gregor, National Jazz Orchestra 1986, and 1997/2000, Daniel Humair, Gérard Marais, Derek Bailey, Michel Portal, Marc Ducret, Joelle Leandre, Louis Sclavis, Francois Corneloup, Jacques Pellen, tour with "Prohibition", with "Bumcello" ....

So it's not bad and it's going well but it's not just jazz in his world, and his obvious scenic ease brings him to collaborate on different musical shows.

"La Baraque Rouge" Gérard Marais' jazz opera, "Futurities" Steve Lacy's music and dance, "Silences" Joëlle Léandre's musical theater, "L'Opéra des Pékins" by Antoine Hervé, "Double number" Duo dance music Yves Robert / Georges Appaix, "Peppermint Soda" Spectacle dance music with Anna Rodriguez, Alvaro Morell, "Oder die Glücklose Landung" by Heiner Goebbels, "The the sound" musical show young audience with J.Marie Maddeddu, "The most clear of my time "multimedia theater ...

He also composes several documentary film and dance shows, including the soundtrack of "A Specialist" (1999 Real: Eyal Sivan, Rony Brauman) on the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem."

"Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist.

Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied piano, clarinet, and alto saxophone before focusing on tenor saxophone. He occasionally plays soprano saxophone and piano. He studied drama at Goddard College from 1955 to 1959.

He played in a Latin jazz band for a short time before joining the band of avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor. Shepp's first recording under his own name, Archie Shepp - Bill Dixon Quartet, was released on Savoy Records in 1962 and featured a composition by Ornette Coleman. Along with John Tchicai and Don Cherry, he was a member of the New York Contemporary Five. John Coltrane's admiration led to recordings for Impulse! Records, the first of which was Four for Trane in 1964, an album of mainly Coltrane compositions on which he was joined by trombonist Roswell Rudd, bassist Reggie Workman and alto player John Tchicai.

Shepp participated in the sessions for Coltrane's A Love Supreme in late 1964, but none of the takes he participated in was included on the final LP release (they were made available for the first time on a 2002 reissue). However, Shepp, along with Tchicai and others from the Four for Trane sessions, then recorded Ascension with Coltrane in 1965, and his place alongside Coltrane at the forefront of the avant-garde jazz scene was epitomized when the pair split a record (the first side a Coltrane set, the second a Shepp set) entitled New Thing at Newport released in late 1965.File:Archie Shepp interview 1978.webmPlay media(video) Interview from 1978, Archie Shepp discusses jazz trends, poverty, politics, civil rights, culture and society.

In 1965, Shepp released Fire Music, which included the first signs of his developing political consciousness and his increasingly Afrocentric orientation. The album took its title from a ceremonial African music tradition and included a reading of an elegy for Malcolm X. Shepp's 1967 The Magic of Ju-Ju also took its name from African musical traditions, and the music was strongly rooted in African music, featuring an African percussion ensemble. At this time, many African-American jazzmen were increasingly influenced by various continental African cultural and musical traditions; along with Pharoah Sanders, Shepp was at the forefront of this movement. The Magic of Ju-Ju defined Shepp's sound for the next few years: freeform avant-garde saxophone lines coupled with rhythms and cultural concepts from Africa.

Shepp was invited to perform in Algiers for the 1969 Pan-African Cultural Festival of the Organization for African Unity, along with Dave Burrell, Sunny Murray, and Clifford Thornton. This ensemble then recorded several sessions in Paris at the BYG Actuel studios.

Shepp continued to experiment into the new decade, at various times including harmonica players and spoken word poets in his ensembles. With 1972's Attica Blues and The Cry of My People, he spoke out for civil rights; the former album was a response to the Attica Prison riots. Shepp also writes for theater; his works include The Communist (1965) and Lady Day: A Musical Tragedy (1972). Both were produced by Robert Kalfin at the Chelsea Theater Center.

In 1971, Shepp was recruited to the University of Massachusetts Amherst by Randolph Bromery, beginning a 30-year career as a professor of music. Shepp's first two courses were entitled "Revolutionary Concepts in African-American Music" and "Black Musician in the Theater". Shepp was also a professor of African-American Studies at SUNY in Buffalo, New York.

In the late 1970s and beyond, Shepp's career went between various old territories and various new ones. He continued to explore African music, while also recording blues, ballads, spirituals (on the 1977 album Goin' Home with Horace Parlan) and tributes to more traditional jazz figures such as Charlie Parker and Sidney Bechet, while at other times dabbling in R&B, and recording with various European artists including Jasper van't Hof, Tchangodei and Dresch Mih�ly.

Shepp is featured in the 1981 documentary film Imagine the Sound, in which he discusses and performs his music and poetry. Shepp also appears in Mystery, Mr. Ra, a 1984 French documentary about Sun Ra. The film also includes footage of Shepp playing with Sun Ra's Arkestra.

Since the early 1990s, he has often played with the French trumpeter Eric Le Lann. In 1993, he worked with Michel Herr to create the original score for the film Just Friends.

In 2002, Shepp appeared on the Red Hot Organization's tribute album to Fela Kuti, Red Hot and Riot. Shepp appeared on a track entitled "No Agreement" alongside Res, Tony Allen, Ray Lema, Baaba Maal, and Positive Black Soul. In 2004 Archie Shepp founded his own record label, Archieball, together with Monette Berthomier. The label is located in Paris, France, and includes collaborations with Jacques Coursil, Monica Passos, Bernard Lubat, and Frank Cassenti."

"Jean-François Pauvros is a French musician, electric guitarist and improviser born on 19 October 1947 1 in Hautmont in the North. He is the brother of Rémi Pauvros. He was a professor of French before living music, and began his career playing in balls.

He was influenced by guitarists like Jimmy Page , Sonny Sharrock or Derek Bailey , and perhaps by Lightnin 'Hopkins and Charlie Christian.

He participates in the Moebius group with Gaby Bizien and Philippe Deschepper. The French talent discoverer Jef Gilson recorded a first disc of Pauvros with Gaby Bizien in duet whose music is close to the British free music. He met Siegfried Kessler with whom he recorded Phoenix 14 in 1978.

In 1978, at the Théâtre Mouffetard, he played with the singer Aude Cornillac and met the trumpeter Jac Berrocal, with whom he formed the Catalog group (where the drummer Gilbert Artman succeeded Jean-Pierre Arnoux ). Hathut Records releases the band's first album, Penetration.

Jean-François Pauvros recorded in 1985 Le Grand Amour with guitarist Arto Lindsay (ex DNA ), vocalist Ted Milton from Blurt and drummer Terry Day ; In 1988 released Hamster Attack with drummer Julian Fenton , singer Mary Genis and saxophonists Evan Parker and Stan Sulzmann among others.

His musical nomadism led him to Japan (with the poet Gozo Yoshimasu), in the United States (with Jonathan Kane and Ernie Brooks), in Chile (Ultima Round) or in Ethiopia.

He played with David Holmes and Elliott Sharp , George Lewis , Jacques Thollot , Rhys Chatham and the 100 Guitars. With Mary Genis, he creates a group of Steel-drum which will also include the reggae trombonist Rico Rodriguez.

He founds the Red Hammer groups with sound engineer Jean-Marc Foussat and drummer Makoto Sato , " the four daughters of industry " with Jean-François Binet, Jean-Marie Messa, Jean Nirouet, Ernie Brooks, Makoto Sato , Plays a duet with the harpist Hélène Breschand and in trio with Noël Akchoté and Jean-Marc Montera. He will participate in reading-performances with the poet Charles Pennequin and the Japanese poet Gozo Yoshimasu. He also played and released records with Daunik Lazro , Roger Turner, Keiji Haino and Kawabata Makoto (founding member of the Acid Mothers Temple Group).

He is the author of, among others, the music of Charles Najman's Royal Bonbon and Pitchipoi films, Karim Dridi's Gray-Blanc and La Mechanique des femmes by Jérôme de Missolz. He works regularly with filmmaker Guy Girard."

Otomo Yoshihide - born in 1959 in Yokohama, Japan. As a teenager, he spent time in Fukushima. Staying independent, he has consistently composed a wide range of music from improvisation to noise music and pop, and his music talent has spread all over the world. He has a successful career as a film score composer and has produced more than 70 movie soundtracks. In recent years, he has produced special type of concerts and musical works in collaboration with other various artists under the name of "ensembles". In addition, one of his priorities is,producing musical workshop projects involving handicapped children. In 2011, after the Great East Japan Earthquake , he started "PROJECT FUKUSHIMA!" along with people in various sectors. He has been active beyond the music scene and this is the reason that he has attracted a great deal of attention. In 2012, he received the Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts in the category of Promotion for "PROJECT FUKUSHIMA!". In 2013, he received various prizes including the Japan Record Award for his accomplishments, such as composing the theme music for the TV drama "Amachan".

"I use my real name "Otomo Yoshihide" as my stage name. When you write your Japanese name in English alphabet, many people often write their given names first, then their family names, following in the Western traditional culture. But originally, some Asian countries, including Japan, write their family names first, and then their given names follow after that. In my opinion, there is not only one standard for people's names and we should respect the values each person attaches to their name. Calling someone by his first name is a wonderful custom in Western culture to express familiarity with each other but that custom is not necessary in Japan because nobody has ever called me by my first name. It does not mean that people are unlikely to become close friends with me. It is just that calling me "Otomo" seems easier. There are some places with such customs in the world; where people friendlily call you by your family name. I am definitely not a nationalist but I have a feeling that something is wrong with those people who do not only disregard the tradition I am familiar with, but would rather follow Western standards.

For this reason, I would like to continue using the notation "Otomo Yoshihide" as before. When you call me, please call me "Otomo" as before. This will not cause any problems in its use. Until now, many people have written my name "Yoshihide Ōtomo" or "Yoshihide Otomo" but please understand those notations are not my intention. I am sincerely grateful for your consideration."