Duo Salque-Peirani

Vincent Peirani belongs to this young generation of musicians who don't restrict themselves to a given musical field, preferring to play hooky and take the byways: in other words, an artist without borders or limits! On the accordion, following in the footsteps of the pioneering Richard Galliano, he intends to continue expanding the possibilities of his instrument.

This native of Nice began by studying the clarinet in equal measure with the accordion before opting for the latter instrument, which he describes as "an orchestra in itself". He began by studying classical music - scouring international competitions and winning a string of awards between 1994 and 1998 - before moving on to contemporary music, French chanson and variety, and then jazz. He was the first accordionist to join the famous jazz class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris.

He then went on to collaborate with a wide range of artists. In 2003, in a duo with Vincent le Quang, he won the 'First Prize for Orchestra' at the Concours National de Jazz de la Défense. Since then he has worked with Richard Bona, Wynton Marsalis, Renaud Garcia-Fons, David Krakauer, Daniel Humair, Youn Sun Nah, Michel Portal, Thomas de Pourquery, Louis Sclavis, Henri Texier and many others. This much sought-after artist won two Victoires du jazz awards, in 2014 and 2015, after Jazz Magazine named him 'Artist of the Year' in 2013, and the Académie du Jazz awarded him the 'Prix Django Reinhardt' for best French jazzman of the year.

Whether playing solo or in small groups, his cosmopolitan, uninhibited musical vision and his unbelievable sense of fusion and colour have led him to conceive some of the most imaginative projects of the moment. As a leader, he can be found in a duo with Emile Parisien (their album Belle Epoque, released by ACT, was a big hit) or with the classical cellist François Salque, in a quartet with Out of Land (Parisien / Schaerer / Wollny), in a trio with Thrill Box (Bénita / Wollny) - the ensemble with which he began his collaboration with the prestigious German label ACT Music - and his recent quintet Living Being (Parisien / Paeleman / Herné / Serra). His international career has brought him a number of awards, including the famous 'Echo Jazz' from the Deutsche Phono-Akademie (the German equivalent of the Prix Charles Cros).

During his concerts, Vincent Peirani demonstrates great maturity, immersing himself in the music in an extraordinarily intense way, while remaining constantly in touch with his audience. Every note, every harmony is a surprise, even though the whole thing is so obvious. The sonic worlds he creates with his accordion play with styles, the erudite verging on the popular, whether in the form of compositions or reinterpretations that he strings together, not without a dose of humour.