BEN RANDO
Piano, Composition

Bach is his first meet with music at the age of 8 : before he learns solfege, his father shows him how to reproduce this music on keyboard. At the age of 17, he leaves high school and chooses to dedicate his life to music. He is trained at lMFP and then in Marseille and Paris conservatories where he learns writing for Big band and improves his theoretical and pianistic knowledge. In 2006 he founds the Dress Code quintet with Yacine Boularès, Olivier Laisney, Cédrick Bec and Simon Tailleu. Together they record the album FAR AWAY prefaced by the New-Yorker saxophonist Chris Cheek. The disc is nominated « Révélation » by Jazz Magazine.

« The pianist Ben Rando is a key pillar on the band. » Citizen jazz
« A sound and a group cohesion of an absolute perfection with millimitered compositions and solos. » Jazz Magazine

From 2007 he discovers new improvisation forms by joining the project Anitya, a pluridisciplinarity band gathering musicians, dancers and actors for improvised performances directed by a gestual language called Soundpainting (Festival d’Avignon, residencies at Studio de l’Ermitage, Paris, radiophonic creations for France Culture… ). This experience allows him to develop his musical language and set free from musical conventions.

In 2008 the collaboration with the trumpet player Florent Briqué brings him to electric music also nourished by improvisation and jazz. Together they will often perform in China on prestigious stages (Hong-Kong International Jazz Festival, JZ Shanghai Music Festival, Hunan Grand Theater…).In 2011 he is called to produce music to image. He produces several sound illustration albums with G-Sound label and writes music for different short films. He conceives his own studio for which he becomes a self-taught sound engineer.

In 2013 he composes and produces the original sound track of the full length movie “Merci les jeune”s (Réal. J.Polidor).At the same period, he densifies his activity of « sideman » and composer by joining different scenic and discographic musical, dance, theater and audiovisual projects. He founds in 2015 the label ONDE by collaborating with the american label Ropeadope (Grammy awards winner with Snarky Puppy…). He co-writes and produces what will become the first publication of the label : Days & moods by the French-English singer Anna Farrow. («Must TSF JAZZ», Le MONDE selection,…)

« Ben Rando is ment to join very soon the highest sphere » (Aaron Parks, Jason Moran …) » Jazz Magazine

YACINE BOULARÈS

Saxophones

Yacine Boulares is a French-Tunisian saxophonist, clarinetist and composer based in New York. Leader of the band AJOYO, a mystic brew of African tradition, jazz and soul, he’s also played with many great musicians such as Ran Blake, Tabou Combo, Sheila Jordan, Theo Bleckman, Becca Stevensand for various projects such as Japanese singer/songwriter Senri Oe(3 albums for Sony Japan). In 2014 he is part of an intimate band picked by producer and arranger Robert Sadin to accompany Opera legend Placido Domingoon his remarkable record Encanto Del Mar. In 2015 his trio project with Vincent Segal and Nasheet Waitsis granted the French American Jazz Exchange. Yacine is a D’Addario woodwinds and Lebayle Mouthpieces artist.
www.yacineboulares.com

SAM FAVREAU
Bass, Double bass

Born in 1983 in the south of France, his father taught him very young the percussions of West Africa. At 9 years old he took guitar lessons, and started to learn drums and bass self-taught. Later on, he got the first prize uninamously in 2006 at Marseille’s music academy. Along the way, he multiplied experiences and his influences diversified over the years (Funk, jazz-rock, pop or latin music). Sam Favreau has been involved in many projects, mostly jazz, as a double bass player and some- times as a composer or arranger. He has also performed in concerts with André Ceccarelli, Archie Schepp, Liz Mc Comband many others.

CÉDRICK BEC
Drums

Graduate from conservatory of Marseille in 2002, he’s now among the most active and versatile French young drummer of his generation. Performing in numerous European jazz clubs and festivals with great artists such as Yaron Herman, Ambrose Akinmusire, Logan Richardson, Ben Aronov… and having re- corded on a dozen of CDs, he continues to share music in many bands with the same soulful and exiting drumming…
www.cedrickbec.com