French Musician of the Year 2024 – Jazz Magazine / Jazz News

Sylvain Rifflet is a French saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer with an already remarkable career. Regularly invited to perform at major national venues and festivals (Jazz au fil de l’Oise, Banlieues Bleues, Théâtre de Cornouaille, Paul B, Théâtre Durance, among others), he has developed over the years a distinctive musical identity. His work draws inspiration both from American repetitive music (Moondog) and from the legacy of jazz greats such as Stan Getz, to whom he has paid tribute on several occasions.

Guided by an adventurous vision of jazz, he continues to push the boundaries of the genre, moving between exploration, trance, and sonic poetry, while often crossing paths with other art forms such as film and video — as in his recent cine-concert based on Tod Browning’s The Unknown.

His latest trio project, We Want Stars, brings together keyboards, saxophone, and drums in an original setting. This work has earned him the title of French Musician of the Year 2024, awarded by the specialized press.

A graduate of the Conservatoire de Paris and winner of the Concours de la Défense, he is a regular presence on the European jazz scene, performing alongside major artists such as Henri Texier, Louis Sclavis, Aldo Romano, Kenny Wheeler, Jon Irabagon, Pascal Schumacher, and Verneri Pohjola.

Honored with a Victoire du Jazz 2016, a Django d’Or 2008, and named French Musician of the Year 2024 by Jazz Magazine and Jazz News, he embodies a generation of musicians reinventing the language of jazz, bridging tradition and modernity.

As a composer, Sylvain Rifflet cultivates a strong affinity for repetitive and minimalist music, imbuing his creations with a hypnotic and cinematic dimension.

Since his debut album Alphabet (2011), his musical universe has unfolded through original projects such as Perpetual Motion – A Celebration of Moondog (2014), Mechanics (2015), Refocus (2017), as well as Troubadours (2019) and Rebellions (2020), both awarded by the Académie Charles Cros.

In 2021, he responded to a commission from the Philharmonie de Paris, launching a series of concerts with Remember Stan Getz, a heartfelt tribute to one of his foremost influences. More recently, he has pursued new sonic explorations with Dooble (2023), in collaboration with electronic musician Philippe Gordiani, and We Want Stars (2024), the debut album of his singular trio with Bettina Kee (keyboards) and Vincent Taeger (drums).