Laurent Coq

Laurent Coq in 13 dates

1970 Born in Marseille on February 22nd. Grow up around Aix-en-Provence.

1980 Enters Aix-en-Provence National Music Conservatory in Ms Courtin (also Hélène Grimaud's teacher). Gets First Prize in 1988 and moves to Paris to devote himself to Jazz.

1994 Obtains a Grant from the French Government for a six months stay in New York. He took lessons from piano players Mulgrew Miller and John Hicks, but most notably from Bruce Barth who will soon become his mentor and a true friend, which he remains to this day.

1997 Records Jaywalker in New York, his first album as a leader. Writes the film score of Mauvais genre (Laurent Benegui) and J'irai au paradis car l'enfer est ici (Xavier Durringer). In1998, follows Mille Bornes by Alain Beigel.

1999 Records in New York Versatile with his own quartet, and Thelonious & Bud Together Again with Laurence Allison's sextet.

2001 Release of Laurent Coq Blowing Trio/Live@the Duc des Lombards (Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros 2002). Is granted an American Artist Visa (New York). Puts a new quartet together with Jér�'me Sabbagh (tenor), Brandon Owens (bass), and Damion Reid (drums).

2003 Records Like A Tree In The City with his American quartet. The album comes out simultaneously in the U.S (Sunnyside) and in Europe (Cristal).

2004 Signs the film score of Qui perd gagne ! (Laurent Benegui) recorded in Sofia/Bulgary for an symphonic orchestra (soundtrack released in France).

2005 Release Spinnin', his first piano trio album recorded in New York in November 2004 with bass player Reuben Rogers and drummer Otis Brown III. Spend winter in Paris with a residence at La Fontaine. Plays the Paris Jazz Festival in June. Spinnin' receive 2005 Best French Album Award by the French Jazz Academy.

2006 Goes to Haiti along with Julien Lourau and the freshly born Jacmel Quartet. Records The Thing To Share, his sixth album as a leader, the second with his atypical Blowing Trio. Goes to Japan to perform solo for the first time and promote the release of Spinnin' on Japanese label Wards Records. Goes to Vietnam with Julien Lourau, Vincent Artaud and Otis Brown III. Records Uncaged, Sophie Alour's new album.

2007 Release of the Blowing Trio album, The Thing To Share, on label Cristal in March. Release of Sophie Alour's new album, Uncaged, on label Nocturne in May. African Tour in the fall (ten countries visited). Along with Julien Lourau and the Jacmel quartet, performs three concerts at the Paris Jazz Festival at La Villette in September.

2008 Arranges and records the repertoire of Pierrick Pedron’s new project Omry. Returns to New York for a full summer devoted to the writing of new music with his former accomplices from Like a Tree in the City. Returns to Japan at the end of August to promote the release of the latest Blowing Trio The Thing to Share on Japanese label Ward Records (as well as Versatile, Live @the duc des Lombards and Like A Tree in the City). Performs four times during that week, including an appearance at the prestigious Tokyo Jazz Festival. Is called by Puerto Rican alto player Miguel Zenon to replace his regular piano player Luis Perdomo for two concerts in Europe, one in Poland, the other in Lausanne, Switzerland. In December, records the Julien Lourau Saigon Quartet new album with bass player Thomas Bramerie and drummer Otis Brown III.

2009 Release of Pierrick Pedron Omry in February followed by concerts with this double- drums sextet. Creation of 88TREES, the piano player's new label. Release of Eight Fragments of Summer end of April, his new quartet album (the seventh as a leader) featuring tenor player Jér�'me Sabbagh, bass player Joe Sanders, and drummer Damion Reid. Release of Julien Lourau's new album after the summer. Recording of Sophie Alour's new album scheduled in September. Will take part in two new projects commissioned by Chamber Music Orchestra through the CMA FACE grant program. One with American tenor saxophonist Sam Sadigursky around contemporary poetry (concert scheduled in Paris end of November) and the other one with alto player Miguel Zenon for the writing of a repertoire inspired by Julio Cortazar's novel Rayela. Concerts schedules in New-York and Paris on April 2010.