Approaching sixty and still bursting with energy, Michel Benita has already enjoyed an exceptional career. His long-term working relationships with Marc Ducret, François Jeanneau, Aldo Romano, NGuyên Lê and Peter Erskine, and Andy Sheppard (Trio Libeiro) rank among the finest performances on the European jazz scene of the last twenty years. More recently, he has teamed up with Vincent Peirani and Michael Wollny, and Adam Badlych, to demonstrate his feline phrasing with a folk edge.
His albums released as band leader stretch back a number of years and include legendary works on the French label, Label Bleu, recorded for example with Rita Martoculli and Dewey Redman.
Four years ago, the first work released by a new group, “Ethics” – an all-star European ensemble founded by Michel and Mieko Miyazaki, charismatic player of the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument, and featuring Eivind Aarset, Philippe Garcia and Matthieu Michel – made a big splash.
The group will go on tour in January 2016 to coincide with the release of their album.