Laurent Epstein is one of the most requested pianists of the French jazz scene for his swing and sense of improvisation.
“full of life, direct and unaffected, his music swings such as those that do not hide”( Felix W Sportis -Jazzhot )
“pianist as sensitive as delicate in its way of turning around the harmonies and to sway the swing “ (Jean-Marc Gelin- Dernières Nouvelles du Jazz)
Laurent Epstein was born in 1964 in Strasbourg (France). He began to play piano at the age of 6 with classical music. and he gradually came to the swing and improvised music through the years .
He settled in Paris in 1992 and performed gradually with many bands in the major jazz clubs of the capital, as well as in festivals in France and abroad, both in standards repertoire and compositions.
His trio with Yoni Zelnik on bass and David Georgelet on drums was formed in 2000: together they played in many jazz scenes.
Their CD " En toute simplicité " ( In all Simplicity )“published in 2010 includes jazz standards revisited, but also compositions and unexpected pieces, for example by classical composer Franz Schubert as well as French cinema star Brigitte Bardot, passing through Thelonious Monk and Jobim.
In the same time he plays as a sideman for the greatest names in French and international jazz. He particularly has performed in the group of Patrick Saussois, especially at concerts with Richie Cole, Gianni Basso, Christian Escoude and Marc Fosset.
His extensive knowledge of standards repertoire made him a much sought-after accompanist for singers, for example Anne Ducros , Harvey Thompson or Roger Letson.
He played with numerous musicians over the years on stage and over more than 20 records (for example with Horns Project Septet, with Masaaki Mizuguchi quartet, with Laurence Masson quartet...)
The CD "L’Emeute" from the poet André Prodhomme on which he improvised with the narrator Philippe Valmont, received the Award "Coup de coeur" of the Academy Charles Cros.
He was the pianist for the evening of the 75-year legendary magazine Jazzhot in 2010
During the last years he has performed in jazz clubs and festivals in France and around the world as well in trio as a sideman in the bands including Sébastien Giniaux "Django 53 quartet " , William Brunard /Angelo Debarre quintet, Hervé Meschinet quartet, Rachel Gould/ Renato d'Aiello quintet , Jean-Loup Longnon big band ...
If he is above all very involved in the jazz scene, his eclecticism allowed him to explore other musical worlds: thereby he played works by French classical composer Erik Satie in a recital and composed music for theater.
He also works with famous artists of French songs as a studio musician and leads jazz and improvisation workshops.