Tchangodei

Born in Benin in 1957, jazz pianist Ferdinand Tchangodei grew up in Lyon, France, where he played in the city's jazz clubs before founding his own bar, Bec de Jazz, which he uses as a venue for rehearsals, concerts and exhibitions of his paintings. After three solo piano recordings for Lyon-based independent label REM between 1979 and 1981, he collaborated with saxophonist Louis Sclavis on the album Ballade Obscure, which launched his Volcanic Records label in 1981. Subsequently, the musician versed in improvisation and the avant-garde began regular associations with Steve Lacy, Archie Shepp, Mal Waldron, Itaru Oki, Kent Carter and Henri Texier. Some twenty albums were released over three decades, including The Wasp - Duo Live and The Bow (1984), Three for Freedom (1987), Ginseng (1988), Jeux d'Ombres (1991), Tôl (1999), with the participation of George Lewis, then Conséquence Vitale (2000), Perfekte Leere -> Liebe (2002) with Sunny Murray and Sonny Simmons, Race Track Blues (2004), Don't Be a Half Shell (2005) and Pure Blues (2007). In 2012, the compilation L'Arc retraced his career.