Sylvain Luc

A jazz guitarist trained in a variety of styles, Sylvain Luc founded the Trio Sud and collaborated with Bireli Lagrène. Born in Bayonne, France on April 7, 1965, Sylvain Luc learned to read music at an early age, learning from his brothers, a drummer and accordionist. He began playing guitar at the age of four and studied cello at the conservatory, also playing the violin and mandolin. At the age of nine, he recorded an album of Basque folklore, Elgarekin, with his siblings, and went on to earn a master's degree in classical guitar. His eclectic tastes also included rock, jazz, gypsy guitar, Brazilian, and traditional music. As a professional, he accompanied artists such as Georges Moustaki, Philippe Léotard, the Argentine singer Jaïro, and Richard Galliano. His talent brought him to the attention of jazz circles, and the guitarist made a name for himself through collaborations with Catherine Lara, with whom he played on the soundtrack to the TV series Terre Indigo (1996). Meanwhile, Sylvain Luc began recording as a leader with the album Piaia (1993). He then collaborated with Louis Winsberg, Stéphane Belmondo and Biréli Lagrène on the album Duet (2000). With Jean-Marc Jafet and André Ceccarelli, he formed the Trio Sud, who released the albums Sud (1999), Trio Sud (2001) and Young and Fine (2008). He also continued to work as a session artist and released more of his own albums including Ambre (2003), Joko (2006) and Standards (2009), released on producer Francis Dreyfus' label. Awarded a Victoire du jazz in 2003, the guitarist also won a Django d'Or from the Académie du jazz in 2007 and was awarded the Grand Prix du jazz de la Sacem (2010) and the Prix Django-Reinhardt (2010). He then recorded the albums Organic (2011) and Souvenirs d'Enfance (2013), reunited with Richard Galliano for covers on La Vie en Rose (2015) and collaborated with drummer Bernard Lubat on Intranquille (2016). In 2019, D'Une Rive à l'Autre was conceived with his partner, classical guitarist Marylise Florid. He worked on material with Renaud Letang on the album Sylvain Luc by Renaud Letang (2021) and released his album Simple Song in 2023. On March 13, 2024, Sylvain Luc died of a heart attack at the age of 58.

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