Born on July 8, 1967 in Hyères, France, Stéphane Belmondo is considered one of the best trumpeters of his generation. Alone or with his brother Lionel Belmondo - born August 19, 1963 - on saxophone, he has played with some big names in jazz and pop (Chet Baker, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Yusef Lateef, Milton Nascimento, etc.). Alongside his brother, he formed the classic line-up of the Belmondo Quintet featuring Thomas Bramerie (bass), Jean-Pierre Arnaud (drums), and Henry Florens (piano). They released their debut album, Lionel & Stéphane Belmondo, in 1993. Their next album, For All Friends, was issued the following year. The Belmondo brothers worked on other projects but returned with a new quintet for 1999’s Infinity. Their next release was the self-titled live album Belmondo Quintet in 2001. After a prolonged break, the Belmondo Quintet returned with the live release InfinityLive in 2009. The album had been recorded the previous October at the Théatre de Plein Air in St. Gilles, Réunion Isle. While not a quintet album, Stéphane Belmondo and Lionel Belmondo worked together again on the Belmondo Family Sextet album Mediterranean Sound (2013). In March 2021, the Belmondo Quintet released Brotherhod, their first official quintet studio album in 22 years.
