Stéphan Oliva - Photo : © Jean Baptiste Millot
career
Pianist Stephan Oliva began confirming his reputation in the late eighties, in trio, duo and solo; his style and highly sensitive touch did not go unnoticed. A true original, he confidently assumes his eclectic taste which ranges from his own compositions to tributes to a wide variety of personalities including Bill Evans, Lennie Tristano, Paul Motian, Giacinto Scelsi, Paul Auster, Bernard Herrmann and more recently, his new reading of the pioneers of Harlem Stride.
His discography has been acclaimed by the press in the form of awards such as a “Golden Django – Revelation” (1992), Jazzman magazine’s “Shock of
the Year” (4 times, in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004), the Boris Vian Award from the French Academy of Jazz (2002), “Favourite Record” from the Charles Cros Academy (2002), listed in the Top 20 of Les Inrockuptibles magazine...
Among Stephan Oliva’s most significant groups: a trio with the great Paul Motian and Bruno Chevillon, another with Bruno Chevillon and François Merville, yet another with Claude Tchamitchian and Jean-Pierre Jullian, a quintet with Matthieu Donarier, JeanMarc Foltz, Bruno Chevillon and Nicolas Larmignat, a sextet with François Raulin, Marc Ducret, Laurent Dehors, Chris- tophe Monniot and Paul Rodgers, a quartet with Rémi Charmasson, Jari Hongisto and Claude Tchamitchian, a duo with Linda Sharrock, another with Joey Baron, and another with Susanne Abbuehl, the Echoes of Spring Quintet, the Soffio di Scelsi Trio...
After few years to work around the music movies with his beautiful trilogy out on Illusions Label, Stéphan Oliva is back with his favorite instrumental jazz set : the trio. Great band with an amazing rhythm section composed by Sébastien Boisseau & Tom Rainey. This new band will be launched by the Europa Jazz Festival.