Martial Solal may be 86 years old, but he still takes to the stage with the passion and enthusiasm of his youth. The pianist-composer’s breakthrough came in 1960 when he wrote the music for French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard’s movie A Bout De Souffle. But before that time Solal had already performed on stage with legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt. In the US too, he gradually gained in popularity in the 1960s. Solal became a friend of saxophonist Lee Konitz and they regularly played together on stages across Europe. In recent years, he has mainly performed as a soloist and with his own trio. The 30 solo concerts he gave for French radio in 1993 and 1994 are famous. Solal has also made a name for himself over the years as a teacher. Pianists greatly value his book Jazz Works. He released his last album Live At The Village Vanguard in 2008.
