Louis Sclavis

Louis Sclavis (born 2 February 1953) is a French jazz musician. He performs on clarinet, bass clarinet, and soprano saxophone in a variety of contexts, including avant-garde jazz, free jazz, free improvisation and contemporary classical.

Life and career He was born in Lyon, France.

He has won numerous awards, including: the PRIX DJANGO REINHARDT “best French jazz musician” (1988); First Prize in the Barcelona Biennale (1989); the British Jazz award at the Midem for “Best Foreign Artist” (1990/91); the DJANGO D’OR “Best French jazz record of the year” (1993); and the GRAND PRIX SACEM 2009.

He was one of the first to combine jazz with French folk music, working most prominently with the hurdy-gurdy player Valentin Clastrier.

His latest album India (Yolk Records, 2025) is a direct reference to the title of his 1987 album Chine. The nine compositions of him have been recorded in Novembre 2024 by the new Louis Sclavis Quintet: Sarah Murcia on double bass, Benjamin Moussay on piano, Olivier Laisney on trumpet and Christophe Lavergne on drums.

Discography Ad Augusta Per Argustia (Nato, 1981) Clarinettes (Label Bleu, 1985) Chine (Ida, 1987) Chamber Music (Ida, 1989) Ellington on the Air (Ida, 1991) Rouge (ECM, 1991) Trio de Clarinettes: Live (FMP, 1991) Acoustic Quartet (ECM, 1994) Carnet de Routes (Label Bleu, 1995) Ceux qui veillent la nuit (JMS, 1996) Danses et Autres Scenes (JMS, 1998) Les Violences de Rameau (ECM, 1996) Suite Africaine (Label Bleu, 1999) L'Affrontement des Prétendants (ECM, 1999) Dans la Nuit (ECM, 2000) Napoli's Walls (ECM, 2002) Bow River Falls (Koch, 2004) Roman, (2004); African Flashback (Label Bleu, 2005) L'Imparfait des Langues (ECM, 2007) Lost on the Way (ECM, 2009) Eldorado Trio (Clean Feed, 2010) Sources (ECM, 2012) Silk and Salt Melodies (ECM, 2014) Characters On A Wall (ECM, 2019) Les Cadances Du Monde (JMS-Cream, 2022) Langues Et Lueurs (Yolk Records, 2023) avec Jean-Paul Delore & Sebastien Boisseau Unfolding (ECM Records, 2023) Duo avec Benjamin Moussay India (Yolk Records, 2025) avec Sarah Murcia, Benjamin Moussay, Olivier Laisney, Christophe Lavergne

Filmography 1999: It All Starts Today (Ça commence aujourd'hui) by Bertrand Tavernier (Sony Music France) 2002: A Moment of Happiness by Antoine Santana 2002: Dans la nuit by Charles Vanel (ECM) 2002: Vivre me tue by Jean-Pierre Sinapi 2007: After Him (Après lui) by Gaël Morel 2009: Plus tard tu comprendras by Amos Gitaï 2009: Portraits-autoportraits by Gilles Porte 2011: Roses à crédit by Amos Gitaï 2015: La porte d'Anna by Patrick Dumont & François Hébrard 2017: La consolation by Magaly Richard-Serrano 2019: Nicolas Philibert, hasard et nécessité by Jean-Louis Comolli 2022: The Sixth Child by Léopold Legrand 2024: Shikun by Amos Gitaï