François Bréant

François Bréant started as a jazz pianist but soon turned to progressive rock in the early 1970s, making his first recordings in a number of obscure French groups. He made a name for himself in the late 1970s as the keyboardist, arranger and band leader of famous French singer/songwriter Bernard Lavilliers, before becoming a sought-after producer in the 1980s and beyond. His work on Salif Keita's 1987 album Soro was crucial to the early development of WorldBeat. He released two solo LPs in the late 1970s. Born in Rouen (France), Bréant's musical inclinations were strongly encouraged by his father, himself a pianist and painter. He learned to play the piano and the organ at a young age. In his lycée (high school) years he took a shine on the music of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane and played in a number of local jazz units. After studies at Rouen's École des Beaux-Arts he joined Cruciferius Lobonz, a visionary fusion jazz group formed by Christian Vander and Bernard Paganotti. The group recorded its sole album A Nice Way of Life in 1970, after Vander quit to form the highly influential Magma. After a short-lived project with Albert Marcoeur and Pascal Arroyo, Bréant travelled to the USA for eight months. Back home he formed Nemo with Cruciferius' Marc Perru, Clément Bailly and future Alpha Ralpha drummer Emmanuel Lacordaire -- with them he began to use synthesizers. After two progressive rock LPs the group disbanded in 1975. Soon after he began work on his first solo album, which would be three years in the making. Meanwhile he joined old friends Lacordaire and Arroyo in 1976 to form one of Bernard Lavilliers' first bands. His first solo LP, Sons Optiques, came out in 1979, soon followed by Voyeur Extra-Lucide. That same year he co-wrote Lavilliers' album Pouvoirs,...