Double Bass : Laurent Chavoit, Olivier Gatto
Drums : Didier Ottaviani, Eric Pérez, Pierre Dayraud, Stefano Lucchini, Benjamin Henocq, Arnaud Biscay
Trumpet : Pablo Valat
Saxophones : Jean-Christophe Jacques, Matthieu Bordenave, Mathieu St Laurent, Sam Newsome, Mark Turner
Guitare : Thomas St Laurent
Camélia Ben Naceur, piano
Laurent Chavoit & Olivier Gatto, double bass
Didier Ottaviani & Benjamin Henocq, drums
Sam Newsome, soprano saxophone
Mark Turner, tenor saxophone
all compositions by Camélia Ben Naceur
Camélia Ben Naceur was born in Lourdes in the Pyrenees Mountains. She started learning music at the age of 5, her first instrument was guitar. Two years later, she studied the accordion, musical notation and also theory. Always demanding new sensations, Camélia tried to explore other instruments, like drums, trumpet and saxophone. In 1986, the multi-instrumentalist, which was not yet the pianist she's became, found the keyboards. It's the "group's period" she was forming bands with friends and performing around Tarbes...
At 18 years old she decided to choose the piano after listening "The Goldberg Variations" of Johann-Sebastian Bach interpreted by the tremendous pianist Glenn Gould. It's a real revelation! A long process of work on harmony and technic begun, also the study of classical music interpretation under the direction of her piano teacher, Mr Robert Kaddouch. She studied deeply the music of composers as different as Bach, Ravel, Albeniz, Prokofieff or Bartok... and discovered with them among other things sound control.
But she didn't stop there. In 1991, she got interest in improvisation by listening musicians like Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock. It was during the same year that she founded the "Camélia Quartet". It's only after a long maturation's period that she tries, in 1996, to record a disc with her companion Laurent Chavoit, in order to deeply explore the possibilities of colors and tones of the Piano. This kind of formula allows in fact not to mark the rhythmn, but only to suggest it... This album titled "Evocación" is composed entirely by originals from the two musicians, whom have certainly got over a new step on the comprehension of music and improvisation.
In 1997, Camélia plays on the Jean-Christophe Jacques album, which is the saxophonist of the "Camélia Quartet". One year later, in 1998, she recorded a classical disc titled "Récital de Piano" that contains the repertoire of Granados, Albeniz and Scarlatti, composers she likes a lot. In 2000, while being part of Lydia Filipovic Quartet she performed with well known american musicians like Clark Terry, Herb Geller, Keith Copeland and Eric Alexander. That same year, she played in Greece, at the "Santorini Jazz Festival" with Lydia Filipovic " Nekada" along with Olivier Gatto, Pascal Gaubert and Nikos Kapilidis, concert where she got a great success !
Back to France, still with Lydia Filipovic "Nekada" she plays with the New-York saxophonist Sam Newsome and the drummer Jakubu Griffin followed in January 2001 with the recording of a disc with Pierre Hossein and Edouardo Herreria, two guitarists that mix classical music, russian or south-american folk music and jazz. The issue of this disc untitled "L'attitude" during February 2001 was followed by concerts. Another project have been issued : a Trio album with bassist Laurent Chavoit and drummer Didier Ottaviani, in 2002. His title "Vox Aeterna" was composed almost only with new material.
2003 and 2004 are full of new encounters and fulfilled with concerts with the drummer Pierre Dayraud, the trombonist Philippe Renault at the "Soko" in Hendaye, at the "Corto Maltese" at Auch at the Jazz Festival of Foix and at the "Dibiteri" at Bordeaux.
The most unusual meeting was with Robert Hossein, the very famous actor and director. His wish, to make a "movie sound-track" played live by musicians for his show "On achève bien les chevaux" (They shoot horses, don't they...) from the famous book of Horace McCoy. The repertoire was based on New-Orleans Jazz and also on the Jazz from the Thirties ( Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington ). The show was at the "Palais des Congrès" of Paris from October 26th until December 31th, 2004.
Now, Camélia Ben Naceur is thirty something and she has reached a certain maturity. Her mastery of technic mixed with her improvisation talent and with her taste for composition allows her to push forward the borders of her imagination. But what she has also more interests, it's to meet and play with new musicians in order to enlarge her music's vision.
Other Spotlights
- Concerts at the West-Side at Pau with Trilok Gurtu, Dominique Di Piazza, N'Guyen Lê, the O.N.J. of Denis Badault, Bireli Lagrene, Chris Minh Doky
- Opening concert of Philip Catherine at the "Théâtre des Nouveautés" of Tarbes
- Concerts at the "Mandala" of Toulouse with Francis Lassus and Ahkim Bournane
- Opening concert of Eddie Gomez at the "Cap-Breton Jazz Festival"
- Concerts with Sylvain Luc, Francis Lassus and Laurent Chavoit in Toulouse, Pau and Biarritz
- Concerts in trio at the "Altxerry" Club of San-Sebastian in Spain and at the "Giroa" of Bilbao and in quartet with the american singer Tracy Mothershed
- Two-Pianos Concert at the "Carnot" with the israelian pianist Yaron Herman
- Concerts in Syria for the week of the francophonia in mars 2003
- Concert in Toulouse with the drummer Pierre Dayraud, the saxophonist Hervé Rousseaux and the trombonist Philippe Renault
- Many Gospel Concerts with the "Influence Gospel" and the "Voice of Praise" groups at the "Port de la Lune", at the "Satin Doll" of Bordeaux and at the "Andernos Jazz Festival"
- Concerts in quartet at the "Soko" and the "Rex" with the trumpetist Claude Egéa
- Many concerts with the young and talented saxophonist Ferdinand Doumerc
- Lydia Filipovic "Mediterraneo" at Nishville Jazz Festival featuring Theodossi Spassov and Billy Cobham
- Olivier Gatto "Le Quintet Nouveau" Live at TIFF 2007 (Roumania) :
Olivier Gatto, double bass
Camélia Ben Naceur, piano
Giovanni Amato, trumpet
Frederic Borey, tenor saxophone
Roger "Kemp" Biwandu, drums
- "International Patras Jazz Festival" with "Nekada" featuring Benjamin Henocq and Rosario Giuliani.
Camélia Ben Naceur, piano
Matthieu Bordenave, soprano saxophone
Laurent Chavoit, double bass
Arnaud Biscay, drums
During the sound check photo by Jacques Bouillerce
The Pyrenees Mountains are ending by diving in the Atlantic Ocean
The corniche between Hendaye and St-Jean-de-Luz
Billy Cobham, Camélia Ben Naceur, Lydia Filipovic, Olivier Gatto, Inbar Fridman, Theodosii Spassov
MEDITERRANEO
What am I looking at...?
Resting on tour...
contact : camelia.bennaceur@free.fr
I have many old and new friends in my list and I would like to support their work so you'll see some little changes in my Top from time to time...
If you don't see yourself at the moment in this list, please don't take it personally, you'll be back soon !
A special thanks for those who put me in their Top, I really appreciate it :-)
Asalama Camelita! quien es el cuarteto,la guitarra es bella pero cuando llego la GITANAmataste! CAMELIA,me matastes!!,no puedo esperar cuando te lances con Billy,preparate ahora si tu talento hablara solo,sigue asi mi REINA!!
Hey Camelia? Your music and piano playing is super, I like it! Just got time off from playing in Switzerland and checked your MySpace page and you are playing in the UK with Billy Cobham at Ronnie´s in London in February. If I can make it, I´ll come down from Nottingham. Any idea of the cost? It tends to be expensive at Ronnie Scots. Love the place though and London. Ever been to London?
Your photos of the Pyreneese Mountains are spectacular and, by the way, `who were you looking at`? *smiles* The mountains and environment must be inspiring to you and your life.
...oui, la Bulgarie, avec ses influences et sa musique originale peut donner envie de devenir un peu différent....très belle métamorphose, c'est vrai! Bon voyage pour les autres concerts! bises, Mioara.
...et un petit fly-vertising, à la foire du livre de Francfort....
Oh, quelle belle inspiration, entre l'Espagne et le jazz! C'est un feu musical qui ne s'éteint jamais....bon voyage pour tous ces concerts à venir! Gros bisous, Mioara.
Thats great dear Camélia! Bulgaria was the place for me that time. We also had a amazing kaval and flute-player in this band (Gaida). Lots of tours so I stop after one year, every tunes goes so fast and heavy. Nearly got a hearthattack in the end.
But it was a funny time. Saras boyfriend here is Billy. Im starting my last CD recording for the year next week with 2 guests so far. Hope I got energy for that. Im so sleepy this time of the year.
hola camelia,espero que todo vaya bien por esas montanas........me encantaria,algun dia compartir un momento musical,poder cantar acompanado de esa maravillosa musica que sale de tu corazon y tu piano,si alguna vez vienes por esta region llamanos sera un placer recibirte,yo vivo en el campo en un monasterio budista........pero salgo para hacer musica,y compartir con la buena gente.un abrazo eterno.luis.candela.
Salut Camélia, ben écoute tu sais avec cette grisaille Parisienne, difficile de garder la pêche. Surtout que l'air n'est pas aussi pur que par chez nous, donc dur de prendre une grande inspiration pour se gonfler à bloc... Mais bon, la musique est toujours présente, ce qui motive tout de même son homme. Je prends un bol d'air grâce à ton message, ça file le sourire. Merci. =) A une prochaine.
Also a great guitar player. All the best / Hugs from Roine and Sara.
