Louis Sclavis
b. 2 February 1953, Lyon, France. Louis Sclavis specializes in soprano saxophone, clarinet and bass clarinet; when he plays the clarinets, in particular, he does so with an authority very few modern jazz players can even approximate. Sclavis first came to attention with the group Workshop de Lyon, with whom he recorded five albums between 1975 and 1985. In 1976, he was a founder member of the Association à la Récherce d'un Folklore Imaginaire which proposed (amongst other things) that rather than be constrained by musical ‘roots’, a group of musicians should be free to dream up their own culture. Correspondingly, Sclavis's own recordings cover a wide and colourful terrain. Still much in demand as a sideman, Sclavis has played with Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, Chris McGregor's Brotherhood Of Breath and others. On ALMS/TIERGARTEN (SPREE) by the Cecil Taylor European Orchestra, Sclavis emerges as one of the most powerful voices in a power-packed band.