Sylvain Kassap

Physical, lyrical and ultra-refined: this is clarinetist Sylvain Kassap. A colourist and architect of sound, he continues to deploy his multiple talents in the exploration of the imprecise yet invaluable border zones where the rich tradition of Western concert music is rattled and intimately traversed by the intrusion of free jazz, rock and ethnic music.

Since the middle of the 70’s he has been heard on stage with Michel Portal, John Surman, Barre Philips, Louis Sclavis, Evan Parker, Sam Rivers, Hamid Drake, Han Bennink, Steve Lacy, Gunter Sommer, Nicole Mitchell, Gian Luigi Trovesi, Lol Coxhill, Henri Texier, Bernard Lubat, Peter Kowald, Anthony Ortéga, Okay Temiz, Conny Bauer… and with his own groups.

At the same time, as a member of the Laborintus ensemble, he has played works by John Cage, Luciano, Berio, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Igor Stravinsky, Anton Webern… and created lot of pieces of French composers such as Georges Aperghis, Bernard Cavanna, Luc Ferrari, François Rossé…

As a composer, he has written music for dancers, theatre events and films, but in the 90’s soloists or ensembles have commissioned scores from him. Then he developed a writing first influenced by Luciano Berio and Franco Donatoni, before becoming purely personal.

Photo credit: Jacky Lepage