Boulou Ferré

Jean-Jacques "Boulou" Ferré (born April 24, 1951 in Paris ) is a French jazz guitarist.

Life

Ferré, who learned to play the guitar at the age of seven, comes from a musical family. Both his father Pierre Matelo Ferret and especially his uncle Baro Ferret , who initially influenced him, played with the Quintette du Hot Club de France and with Django Reinhardt . During his guitar lessons his father made sure that his son did not imitate him but developed his own way of playing; so the young guitarist transferred solos from Charlie Parker to the guitar. His further musical and harmonic foundation was laid while studying at the Paris Conservatory with Olivier Messiaen .

Boulou made his first recordings at the age of 13. A 1966 record with Pierre Michelot , Eddy Louiss and Kenny Clarke was rated 4 stars by the Down Beat . He later played with Dizzy Gillespie , Warne Marsh , Dexter Gordon , Chet Baker and Stéphane Grappelli . In 1970 he recorded a multifaceted duo album with the multi-instrumentalist Gunter Hampel . In 1973 he appeared with Bob Reids and Glenn Spearman's quintet Emergency . His 1974 Corporation Gypsy Orchestra caught the attention of both Carlos Santana and Frank Zappa . Steve Lacy brought him to his album Dreams in 1975 .

Since the 1980s, Boulou has been playing regularly with his younger brother, the guitarist Elios Ferré . This well-rehearsed duo is occasionally expanded into larger formations (for example with the bass player Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen or the pianist Alain Jean-Marie ). In addition, he has also presented a trio album with Babik Reinhardt and Christian Escoudé . In his virtuoso improvisations and complex arrangements, Ferré creates a connection with the achievements of contemporary music. In 2006 he and his brother received the French Django d'Or .

Discographic notes

• Boulou with The Paris All Stars - The 13 Year Old Sensation from France (Universal, 1964/2005)
• Gunter Hampel / Boulou Ferré - Espace (Birth Records, 1970)
• Boulou Ferré Trio - Nuages (SteepleChase, 1986), with Elios Ferré, Jesper Lundgaard
• Boulou & Elios Ferré Live in Montpellier (and Paris) DVD (ed. 2006) with Lee Konitz
• Solo (JMS 2013, some tracks with Elios Ferré, Florin Niculescu , Pierre Boussaguet )
• Boulou Ferré, Elios Ferré, Christophe Astolfi : La bande des trois (2015)

literature

• Michael Dregni Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing Oxford: Oxford University Press 2008

Web links

• Website of the Ferré brothers
• Article in Djangostation
• Boulou Ferré at Allmusic (English)
• Boulou Ferré at Discogs (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ republished as Complete Barclay Recordings - Jazz in Paris Vol. 10 (ed. 2012)
2. ↑ Konitz is only involved in two titles