It is said that the era of self-taught jazz musicians ended decades ago, and today's musicians (even those who have no chance of reaching the major leagues of fame and quality) usually have college degrees in music. French musician Cédric Hanriot, however, studied electrical engineering. But even at that time - as a self-taught musician - he was already brilliant on the jazz and funk scene.
At the age of thirty-one, already an accomplished musician, Cédric Hanriot won a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston. And today, in addition to private master classes, he teaches piano improvisation and harmony at The American School of Modern Music in Paris. He certainly has a lot to pass on to his students.
He first made a name for himself as a sideman to the great figures of the world music scene. He has worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper and Donny McCaslin, to name a few. But he came to prominence most of all as the pianist and sound designer of the album Beautiful Life by the American singer Dianne Reeves. It won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
Read moreIn parallel, however, Cédric Hanriot is also pursuing his own solo career, which is the result of his wide musical range. To bring freshness to his work, he is inspired not only by the great classical composers (Bartók, Ravel, Messiaen, Chopin), but also by electronic music, hip hop (Common, Kendrick Lamar), neo soul (D'Angelo, Erykah Badu) and pop - all combined with a deeply jazz identity (Bud Powell, Erroll Garner, George Duke, Brad Mehldau).
In 2022, Cédric Hanriot released his last album yet, Time is Color. It is a completely unique work that represents the author's personal testimony, characterized by an original blend of jazz, hip hop and urban music. The project has been enthusiastically received by the entire professional world and listeners, and not only in the jazz circle. The album won a large number of awards. To name a few, the extremely influential British MOJO magazine named Time is Color one of the ten best albums of 2022.