Born in Bordeaux, France, Philippe Petit established himself
in Paris in 1977 and worked for the Barclay Studios (now Universal) as a
pianist and composer. In 1980, he met the saxophonist Francis Bourrec with whom
he played until 1987 in clubs and festivals (Jazz aux Ulis, Printemps de
Bourges and Salon de la Musique amongst others.)
A sought-after accompanist, Philippe performed with various
singers both in France and abroad, and was a special guest at the Memphis in May
Festival in Memphis, Tennessee (USA). He has also accompanied respected
American soloists such as Arnett Cobb, Bud Shank, Benny Bailey and French
artists such as Sylvain Beuf and Jean- Claude Fohrenbach.
In the 90’s, Philippe Petit developed an interest in the
Hammond Organ, and was initially influenced by musicians such as Jimmy Smith
and Mel Rhyne (organist of guitarist Wes Montgomery). The discovery of an
instrument with so many stylistic possibilities allowed Philippe to explore a
huge range of styles, from traditional swing and bebop, to blues, rock and jazz
fusion. Sharing the stage with varied artists such as Scott Hamilton, Eric
Alexander, Houston Person, Sophia Nelson, Hervé Meschinet, André Villeger,
Christian Escoude, Marc Fosset, Marcel Azzola, Rhoda Scott and Dany Doriz,
Philippe has developed his own personal style and is now considered one of the
top specialists of the Hammond Organ in France.
Having a penchant for combining adventure and music,
Philippe has toured extensively throughout Europe, Africa, South America and
Asia. His passion for sharing music has led him to far off places such as the
Himalayas and the Amazonian forest. In 2012, he was featured in the documentary
“Venez Jouer Là” which followed the Venezuelan tour of the “Equatorial Jazz
Groove” group, The Jazz Runners.
Over the years, Philippe has collaborated on numerous
projects and recordings, both as sideman, composer and arranger. He currently
tours with renowned vibraphonist Dany Doriz, (also owner of the famous Parisian
jazz club Le Caveau de La Huchette, featured in the 2016 film La La Land)
Other organ projects include the “Men in Bop” Quartet with
Olivier Defays (sax tenor), Philippe Chagne (tenor sax) and Yves Nahon (drums),
the LSP Trio with Sylvain Sourdeix (soprano sax) and Jean-Luc Lopez (drums).
Recent recordings find Philippe back on the piano with
long-time comrades Eric Dervieu (drums) and Pierre Maingourd (double bass), and
include a collaboration with Australian singer & tap dancer Wendy Lee
Taylor: “Remembering Fred Astaire” as well as “A beautiful Friendship” (Release
June 2018), an album resulting in the trio’s spontaneous decision to go into
the recording studio after more than 25 years of live performance together.
Philippe Petit is one of France’s most respected masters of
the Hammond organ & pianist. First influenced by organists Jimmy Smith and
Mel Rhyne, who played with Wes Montgomery, he progressively developed his own
funky and jazzy style and a unique sound: rich, percussive, fast, accurate and
always full of energy and swing.
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