August 23, 1927 – December 12, 2024

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Pianist Martial Solal passed away on Dec. 12, 2024 at the age of 97.

He was born in Algiers on Aug. 23, 1927, studying clarinet and saxophone before settling on the piano.

Expelled from school in 1942 due to being Jewish, he taught himself how to play jazz and first performed in public when he was 15.

Solal moved to Paris in 1950 and, other than one song with Andre Hodeir in 1950, made his recording debut in 1953 with Django Reinhardt.

That same year he led his first record date and recorded with Don Byas.

Solal, who recorded a notable album with Sidney Bechet in 1957, led his own quartet in France, composed film music, and in 1963 appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival.

While originally based in swing and bop, Solal gradually modernized his style throughout the 1950s and ‘60s, becoming freer, personal, more percussive, and an utterly unique improviser.

Solal worked and recorded with Lee Konitz, Kenny Clarke, Stephane Grappelli, Toots Thielemans, Stan Getz, Lucky Thompson, Johnny Griffin, Dave Douglas and Dave Liebman, and led many albums of his own during his long career, retiring after a final recorded concert in 2019.

From 1965, Martial Solal leads a trio with bassist Michel Gaudry and drummer Ronnie Stephenson for “On Green Dolphin Street.”

-Scott Yanow

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