Martial Solal - Complete Recordings 1953-1962 (2019)

A new pianist of startling talent burst onto the international jazz scene in late 1953. His name was Martial Solal, a young Frenchman born in Algiers (1927). He left his hometown for Paris at the age of 23 in search of a more favorable jazz climate, earning fame and experience along the way with a number of bands. In 1953 his playing caught the ear of legendary jazz producer Charles Delaunay, who offered to record him accompanied by Pierre Michelot and Pierre Lemarchand —the two leading voices in their respective instruments— for his Swing / Vogue label. These were Solal’s first trio recordings, and they immediately established him as someone to reckon with in the French jazz scene.

Bud Powell was Solal’s favorite pianist and one of his main influences, but Erroll Garner came a close second. Needless to say, as a bop enthusiast, he was fond of Charlie Parker and Miles Davis as well. His main objective was to play bop, but with his own brand of piano playing, looking for new harmonies because, as he says, “to me evolution is the first and most important thing.”

You will find in this collection all the qualities that make Martial Solal one of the best contemporary pianists: a soft touch full of contrasts —even in the more demanding pieces; his keen intelligence, which keeps him cool at all times; and the way he always swings forward through imagination and originality, which are the trademarks of his talent.