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Dominique Pifarély

Dominique Pifarély modernized jazz violin, combining extraordinary technical skills with an inclusive idea of music-making. He has been soon very in-demand as a straight jazz player, but was soon in some of the more adventurous groups in Europe, too, including Mike Westbrook’s band (On Dukes’ Birthday, hatART) and the Vienna Art Orchestra.

In 1979, he began touring with bassist Didier Levallet and guitarist Gérard Marais as a trio. In the 1980s he began leading his own bands, as can be heard on 2 records, Insula Dulcamara (1988) et Oblique (1992).

In 1985, Pifarély started to work with reedist Louis Sclavis and in 1992, they formed the Sclavis/Pifarély Acoustic Quartet, featuring guitarist Marc Ducret and bassist Bruno Chevillon, and recorded for ECM. In the late 1990s, he started a duo work with pianist François Couturier, and they recorded a prominent album (Poros, ECM, 1997).

In the 2000’s, Dominique Pifarély leads different personal projects. Impromptu is a development of the collaboration with François Couturier, adding counter tenor Dominique Visse and a work on contemporary poetry. He initiated numerous text/music experiences with french writer François Bon and actors Violaine Schwartz and Pierre Baux. The Dédales Ensemble is a acoustic nine piece band. He founded in 2007 a trio with keyboard player Julien Padovani and drummer Eric Groleau, and the Dédales Ensemble (“Time Geography”, Poros éditions, 2013), played in duo with Michele Rabbia or Vincent Courtois,

In his mature style, the classical violin tradition and the swing lessons combine with a contemporary European sonic exploration ; his technical mastery and quick imagination allow him to move seamlessly between these worlds.

Dominique Pifarély created in 2014 a new quartet with Antonin Rayon on piano, Bruno Chevillon on double bass and François Merville on drums (“Tracé provisoire”, ECM, 2016), and gives solo recitals. Then he is part, since 2015, of the collaborative trio Sclavis/Pifarély/Courtois (“Asian fields variations”, ECM, 2017).

He regularly performs in whole Europe, and has been touring in USA, Canada, Japan, India, Middle East, Latin America or Africa.

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Album Review

Dominique Pifarély Quartet: Tracé Provisoire

Read "Tracé Provisoire" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Dopo lo splendido lavoro in solo Time Before and Time After, Dominique Pifarély torna alla testa di un quartetto che vede schierati due suoi storici collaboratori quali sono Bruno Chevillon e François Merville accanto al pianista Antonin Rayon. La cifra è quella che da sempre caratterizza il violinista francese: un camerismo contemporaneo piuttosto astratto, marcatamente ritmico e ricco di momenti improvvisati. Pifarély vi domina la scena figurando come prima voce, ma l'interazione con i compagni è sempre molto ...

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Album Review

Dominique Pifarély Quartet: Tracé Provisoire

Read "Tracé Provisoire" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


French violinist Dominique Pifarély--last heard solo on Time Before And Time After (ECM, 2015)--leads a quartet into that uncharted territory between improvisation and composition. The quartet was founded in the spring of 2014, but the players had many associations before that. Pifarély and double bassist Bruno Chevillon have recorded together with clarinetist Louis Sclavis on Chine (Ida, 1987) and Acoustic Quartet (ECM, 1994). The violinist and drummer François Merville appeared on Sclavis' Dans la Nuit (ECM, 2000). Pianist Antonin Rayon ...

Album Review

Dominique Pifarély: Time Before and Time After

Read "Time Before and Time After" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Dominique Pifarély è un raffinato interprete del violino, sempre a cavallo tra jazz e contemporanea, che ha scritto pagine importanti nelle sue collaborazioni con Louis Sclavis (fin dai lontani tempi degli splendidi Rouge, 1992, e Acustic Quartet, 1994), Francois Couturier (Poros, 1998) e Stefano Battaglia (Re: Pasolini, 2007). Da anni impegnato in esibizioni dal vivo d'improvvisazione solitaria, adesso documenta tale pratica in questo album, il cui titolo proviene da un poema di T.S. Eliot e le cui tracce sono dedicate ...

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