Piano Aux Jacobins - Jazz Gig by Philippe Léogé, France at Shanghai Oriental Art Center·Performance Hal

Philippe Léogé has always dreamt to be a musician after the day he discoverded an old and keyless piano in the far end of his father’s mecanic workshop. During the sixties, when he was 5 to 13, he studied piano, harmony, clarinet and music writing and started to give his first concerts at the age of 11.

After a study in Berklee School of Music of Boston and some precious advices from his back then masters : Maurice Vander and Martial Solal, he specialized himself in jazz music, essentially characterized by improvisation and became a famous arranger in France. Creator of the mythic Big-Band 31, this multifaceted artist will share the stage with Glenn Ferris, Gimmy Gourley, DeeDee Bridgewater, André Minvielle, Magali Piétri, Térez Montcalm, Guy Lafitte, Molly Johnson, Philip Catherine, Lavelle, Silvia Droste, Rob Mc Connell, Steve Grossman, the Cecarelli Family, Stéphane and Lionel Belmondo, David Linx.

From 1992 to 1995 he has been the conductor and the pianist of the TV program “Sacrée soirée” and has worked with a large number of artists such as Gilbert Bécaud, Charles Aznavour, Henri Salvador, Barry White and others…

In 1996 Claude Nougaro untrusted him with the music conduction of his show “Chansons-fleuves”. In this occasion he wrote for an orchestra formed by the Alix Bourbon Ensemble (80 chorists), one piano and several percussionists from different influences.

After a period dedicated to sing, he participated in 1999 to the creation of the “Missa de Angelis” with Alain Louvieras as a soloist baryton, conducted by Daniel Tosi. He created and is the artistic director of the Haute-Garonne Festival “Jazz sur son 31”. He is also the creator and programmer of the festival “Aux frontières du Jazz” in the “Palais des rois de la Majorque” in Perpignan. Currently pianist in Jean-Marc Padovani and Enzo Corman’s projects (“duo” and “films noirs”), he is before everything a piano solist improviser and decided to identify himself as such.

Since 2007, Philippe Léogé has been invited in artist residence by the academy of music of Stuttgart in order to present his “Dorian ballades” in the Wilhelma Theater and in the Homelkollen of Oslo and in the French centers of Fès and Agadir.

In 2009 he participatesd to the 30th edition of the prestigious festival “Piano aux Jacobins”. In 2011/2012 he will participate to the Marciac festival and to the “Piano en Valois” festival. He will finally tour in Scandinavian countries and in China for the festival “Piano aux Jacobins”.
In his current repertoire appear original compositions, jazz standards, Claude Nougaro’s melodies, melodies from Bresil or borrowed to Flamenco, which give him the freedom to total and spontaneous improvisations.