Sylvain Luc (born 7 April 1965) is a French jazz guitarist. He tours regularly but rarely appears in high-profile jazz festivals. He is particularly attracted to duets, but he has also been seen in trios (his own, plus Trio Sud, and on tour in 2009 with

Steve Gadd Stephen Kendall Gadd (born April 9, 1945) is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the ''Modern D ...

and

Richard Bona Richard Bona (born 28 October 1967) is a Cameroon-born American multi-instrumentalist and singer. Early life Bona Penda Nya Yuma Elolo was born in Minta, Cameroon, into a family of musicians, which enabled him to start learning music from a y ...

) and rarely with larger groups. His best-known works are the two duet albums with

Biréli Lagrène Biréli Lagrène (born 4 September 1966) is a French jazz guitarist who came to prominence in the 1980s for his Django Reinhardt–influenced style. He often performs in swing, jazz fusion, and post-bop styles. Biography Lagrène was born in So ...

, with whom he has toured many times.

Biography

Childhood and musical studies

Luc was born in

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, the youngest of three brothers. He studied at the prestigious Academy de Bayonne as a child, mastering the guitar, cello, violin, and mandolin. His two elder brothers (Gérard, the eldest, playing the accordion and Serge, playing

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

) were both musicians who regularly played in balls. At the age of 4, he laid his hands on a toy guitar with only three strings left on it and was allowed to accompany his brothers on rehearsals. Even at such a young age, he was able to play accurate

chords Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord ...

. As a result, he started touring with his brothers playing balls at a very early age. Being immersed in a musical environment, he was regularly in touch with other musicians. One of them, the late Joe Rossi (who taught accordion to his elder brother Gérard), suggested that he to listen to (and offered him an LP of)

Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...

(''

Portraits of Duke Ellington ''Portraits of Duke Ellington'' is an album by jazz guitarist Joe Pass that was released in 1975. It peaked at number 37 on the Jazz Albums chart. It is a tribute to jazz musician Duke Ellington and was recorded shortly after his death.

''). This, and other encounters at his parents' home (in particular guitar player

Michel Ducau-Lucart Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

, who offered him his first guitar), led him to listen to, and appreciate, jazz music. At age 9 he performed for the first time on an album with his brothers ('' Elgarrekin''), and played in the first part of a concert of

Joe Dassin Joseph Ira Dassin (; 5 November 1938 – 20 August 1980) was an American–French singer-songwriter and actor. He was the son of film director Jules Dassin. Early life Dassin was born in New York City to American film director Jules Dassin (19 ...

with a local group. He also entered the

conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...

of Bayonne. While the guitar is his instrument of choice, there were no courses for the guitar at the conservatoire, so he chose to study

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

instead, and gained a taste for classical music. Luc has commented that his study of the Cello helped him build strength in his fingers which was beneficial for guitar. At age 12, he performed on a second album with his brothers, '' Oinakarin''. He also became fluent with other instruments along the way, including the

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

, the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

and the

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

Beginning of solo career

At age 15, Luc formed a jazz group called the "Bulle Quintet," and quickly gained recognition. Two years later, in 1982, he and his group were elected laureate of the international festival of San Sebastian. He quickly became the most sought-after guitarist and bassist in the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous c ...

region and began to tour regularly. In 1985, he met Marie-Ange Damestoy and became her guitarist, arranger and composer. Two years later, in 1987, they were nominated revelation of the

Printemps de Bourges Le Printemps de Bourges is an annual music festival that is held in Bourges, France, over the course of five days. It is now a major event in France and Europe. History The festival was created in 1977 (by , , and ). With its span of 35 years, ...

Paris and after

In 1988, he settled in Paris and became an arranger, composer and accompanist to many different French artists, including

Catherine Lara Catherine Lara (born Catherine Bodet; 29 May 1945) is a French violinist, composer, singer, and author. Over a career spanning more than five decades, she has established herself as an icon in French pop/rock music as well as the neo-classical g ...

Michel Jonasz Michel Jonasz (born 21 January 1947 in Drancy, France) is a French composer-songwriter, singer and actor. His compositions include: ''La boîte de jazz'', ''Joueurs de blues'' and ''Les vacances au bord de la mer''. Born of Hungarian immigrant ...

, all while being the bassist for the

Richard Galliano Richard Galliano (born 12 December 1950, Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes) is a French accordionist of Italian heritage. Allmusic biography/ref> Biography He was drawn to music at an early age, starting with the accordion at 4, influenced by his fath ...

trio. In 1999, he founded Trio Sud with

André Ceccarelli André "Dédé" Ceccarelli (born 5 January 1946) is a French jazz drummer. Biography After learning to play the drums from his father, Ceccarelli started out playing in the salons of the Hotel Royal Nice Promenade des Anglais at the age of fif ...

and Jean-Marc Jafet, an ensemble with which he obtained the French Music Award for Jazz as best group of the year in 2003. Since 2006, he has worked in quartets with

Didier Lockwood Didier Lockwood (11 February 1956 – 18 February 2018) was a French violinist. He played in the French rock band Magma in the 1970s, and was known for his use of electric amplification and his experimentation with different sounds on the electri ...

, Victor Bailey and

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the ''Moder ...

. In 2009 he toured across Europe with

and

. Among the musicians he has played with are

Al Jarreau Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and musician. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R ...

Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many so ...

Erkan Oğur Erkan Oğur (pronounced ) (born April 17, 1954) is a Turkish musician. A pioneer of fretless guitars, he invented the first fretless classical guitar in 1976.Martinelli, op. cit.Unfretted, op. cit. A composer, he has influenced many musicians w ...

Renaud Garcia-Fons Renaud Garcia-Fons (born December 24, 1962) is a highly accomplished French upright-bass player and composer. Career Garcia-Fons started his musical studies at an early age. At five years old he picked up playing the piano, switched to classic ...

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebra ...

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awar ...

Stéphane Belmondo Stéphane Belmondo (; born July 8, 1967) is a French jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, and drummer. Including recordings made with his brother Lionel Belmondo and Yusef Lateef, he won the best French album category ''(L'Album français de l'année ...

Manu Katché Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958) is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusio ...

Michel Portal Michel Portal (born 27 November 1935) is a French composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist. He plays both jazz and classical music and is considered to be "one of the architects of modern European jazz". Early life Portal was born in Bayonne on 2 ...

, Bobby Thomas Jr.,

Andy Sheppard Andy Sheppard (born 20 January 1957) is a British jazz saxophonist and composer. He has been awarded several prizes at the British Jazz Awards, and has worked with some notable figures in contemporary jazz, including Gil Evans, Carla Bley, ...

Jacky Terrasson Jacky Terrasson (born November 27, 1965) is a French jazz pianist and composer. Background Terrasson's mother is African-American from Georgia, and his father is French. From his parents he heard classical music as a child. He began piano lesson ...

, Jean-Marc Jafet, Alain Caron,

John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaugh ...

Bernard Lubat Bernard Lubat (born July 12, 1945, Uzeste) is a French jazz drummer, pianist, singer, percussionist, vibraphonist, and accordionist. Lubat grew up in a musical family (his father played trumpet) and he received formal training at the Bordeaux Con ...

Lokua Kanza Lokua Kanza (born April 1958) is a singer-songwriter from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is known for his soulful, folksy sound. Biography Lokua Kanza was born Pascal Lokua Kanza in Bukavu in the province of Sud-Kivu, in the eastern p ...

Steve Lukather Steven Lee Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known as the sole continuous founding member of the rock band Toto. His reputation as a skilled guitarist led to a stead ...

, Victor Bailey,

Dario Chiazzolino Dario Chiazzolino (born February 8, 1985) is a guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, and award-winning artist based in New York City. He has played with Bob Mintzer, Billy Cobham, and the Yellowjackets. Early life Dario Chiazzolino was ...

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. Early life Larry Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas, United States. He never knew his biological father, a musician. He w ...

Al Di Meola Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his works in jazz fusion and world music, he began his career as a guitarist of the group Return to Forever in 1974. Between the 1970s and 1980s, albums such as ' ...

, and

Tommy Emmanuel William Thomas Emmanuel (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian guitarist. Regarded as one of the greatest acoustic guitarists of all time, he is known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and use of percussive effects on ...

Instruments

Sylvain mostly plays Godin Multiac guitars, both the nylon and steel string versions. He also, but less frequently, plays with the Godin 5th Avenue series (he is seen with a black 5th Avenue guitar on his album ''Standards''). He also plays classical guitars.

Style

Sylvain plays mostly plays

fingerstyle Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of guitar picking, playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with ...

, even with a steel string guitar, and sometimes uses a

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...

, often switching during the course of a single song. Luc sometimes detunes the sixth (and even fifth) strings of his guitars (sometimes up to an octave below normal), both to emulate a

sound while accompanying and to accompany himself in solos.

Discography

As leader

* ''Piaia'' (Transat, 1993) * ''Petits deja...'' with Louis Winsberg (Bleu Citron, 1994) * ''Terre Indigo'' with

(PolyGram, 1996) * ''Duet'' with Bireli Lagrene (Dreyfus, 1999) * ''Ameskeri'' with

Stephane Belmondo Stephane may refer to: * Stéphane, a French given name * Stephane (Ancient Greece), a vestment in ancient Greece * Stephane (Paphlagonia) Stephane ( grc, Στεφάνη) was a small port town on the coast of ancient Paphlagonia, according to Arria ...

(Shai, 1999) * ''Piaia Naia'' with Francis Lassus (Disques Concord, 1999) * ''Sud'' with Trio Sud (Dreyfus, 2000) * ''Nahia'' (Pygmalion, 2000) * ''Trio Sud'' (Dreyfus, 2002) * ''Solo Ambre'' (Dreyfus, 2003) * ''Joko'' (Dreyfus, 2006) * ''Young and Fine'' with Trio Sud (Dreyfus, 2008) * ''Standards'' (Dreyfus, 2009) * ''Organic'' with Andre Ceccarelli (Dreyfus, 2011) * ''Roots & Wings'' with

Phil Abraham Phil Abraham is an American cinematographer and television director. He worked on all six seasons of ''The Sopranos'', initially as a camera operator, then as a cinematographer and eventually as an episodic director. He won the 2008 Primetime Em ...

(Challenge, 2014) * ''Giu' La Testa'' with Stefano di Battista (Just Looking, 2014) * ''La Vie En Rose'' with

(Le Chant du Monde, 2015) * ''D'une Rive a L'autre'' with Marylise Florid (Jade, 2019) * ''2.0'' with Stephane Belmondo (Naive, 2019) *''By Renaud Letang'' (Just Looking Productions, 2021)

As sideman

With Andre Ceccarelli * ''61:32'' (BMG, 1999) * ''Carte Blanche'' (Dreyfus, 2004) * ''Ultimo'' (EmArcy/Universal, 2012) * ''Twelve Years Ago'' (Bonsai Music, 2013) With others *

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...

, ''Jazznavour'' (EMI, 1998) * Gerard Berliner, ''Heureux'' (Une Musique, 1997) *

, ''The Ten Shades of Blues'' (EmArcy/Universal, 2009) *

Patrick Bruel Patrick Benguigui (; born 14 May 1959), better known by his stage name Patrick Bruel (), is a French singer-songwriter, actor and professional poker player. Biography Early life Patrick is the son of Pierre Benguigui and Augusta Kammoun, d ...

, ''Juste Avante'' (RCA, 1999) * Edith Butler, ''Madame Butlerfly'' (Kappa, 2003) *

, ''New Jazz Musette'' (Ponderosa, 2016) * Jean Guidoni, ''Aux Tourniquets Des Grands Cafes'' (Malambo, 1990) * Jean Guidoni, ''Vertigo Paradoxe,'' (Polygram, 1995) * Francoise Hardy, ''Le Danger'' (Virgin, 1996) *

Jacques Higelin Jacques Joseph Victor Higelin (; 18 October 1940 – 6 April 2018) was a French pop singer who rose to prominence in the early 1970s. Early life Higelin was born on 18 October 1940. His father, Paul, a railway worker and musician of Alsatian de ...

, ''Aux Heros De La Voltige'' (EMI, 1994) * Jean-Marc Jafet, ''Live Au Parc Floral'' (RDC, 1996) * Jean-Marc Jafet, ''Mes Anges'' (Cristal, 2004) *

Jairo Jairo is a common Spanish name. Notable people with this name include: People Association football *Francisco Jairo Silva Santos (born 1988), Brazilian footballer *Jairo Aguirre (born 1956), Colombian footballer * Jairo Álvarez Gutiérrez (born ...

, ''Live Bataclan'' (Malambo, 1988) *

, ''3'' (RCA, 1998) * Lokua Kanza, ''Plus Vivant'' (EmArcy/Universal, 2005) *

, ''Melomanie'' (Guy Cloutier, 1997) * Catherine Lara, ''Aral'' (XXL, 1999) *

Philippe Leotard Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to: * Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present) * Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer * Prince Philippe, Count ...

, ''A L'amour Comme a La Guerre (Chansons)'' (Gorgone, 1990) *

Linda Lewis Linda Ann Fredericks (born 27 September 1950), better known as Linda Lewis, is an English vocalist, songwriter and guitarist. She is the eldest of six children, three of whom also had singing careers. She is best known for the singles "Rock-a- ...

, ''Second Nature'' (Sony, 1995) *

, ''Onztet De Violon Jazz'' (JMS, 1994) * Didier Lockwood, ''For Stephane'' (Ames, 2008) * Vincent Peirani, ''Gunung Sebatu'' (Zig Zag, 2010) *

William Sheller William Sheller (born William Desboeuf on 9 July 1946) is a French classical composer and singer-songwriter. A prominent artist of French popular music since the 1970s, William Sheller has the particularity of being one of the few singers of Fre ...

, ''Avatars'' (Mercury, 2008) *

Fabienne Thibeault Fabienne Thibeault (born 16 June 1952 in Montreal, Quebec) is a French Canadian singer. She is particularly known for her role in Starmania. Thibeault has released numerous albums over her career. She has been the recipient of two Félix A ...

, ''Martin De Touraine'' (A.D.L., 1996) *

Trio Chemirani The Chemirani ensemble is a notable Persian classical music ensemble."Trio Chemirani ...

, ''Invite Accords'' (Croises, 2011)

References

External links

*
Sylvain Luc, Joko , Jazz and blues
Guardian Unlimited Music, 8 December 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Luc, Sylvain 20th-century guitarists 21st-century guitarists French jazz guitarists French male guitarists Gypsy jazz guitarists French jazz composers Male jazz composers People from Bayonne 1965 births Living people 20th-century French male musicians 21st-century French male musicians