louis billette

Louis Billette began his classical musical studies at the age of six at the Conservatoire du Centre de Paris. He then turned to hip-hop with his brother Romain, releasing his first independent album at the age of 16, and participating in numerous projects as a singer-songwriter.

At the age of 20, estranged from his brother due to schizophrenia, Louis Billette turned to jazz, finding it a far more powerful means of expression than words. Joe Henderson and Stan Getz, as well as Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, were his references. With André Villeger, he learns how to make a saxophone sing. He studied piano, harmony and composition, and became fascinated by the composers Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Kenny Wheeler.

In 2012, he entered the Haute Ecole de Jazz de Lausanne in the classes of Robert Bonisolo and Mathieu Michel. He participates in both traditional and modern musical projects: OGGY & the Phonics, Lost In Swing, le Big Band de Suisse Romande, Gabriel Zufferey Quartet, Manu Hagmann Choice… These projects give him the opportunity to play on prestigious stages such as Montreux Jazz Festival, Cully Jazz, JazzAscona, Muri-im-Ochsen, Jazz In Bess, AMR, Be Jazz, au Budapest Music Center, les Rendez-Vous de l'Erdre, Jazz in Marciac.

With Immersion (2016), his first all-compositions album, he sets his brother Romain's paintings to music. He explores an intimate and profound musical realm, in search of a sincere music, far from fashions. This was followed by two other quintet albums, Concordance (2018) and Le temps d'une vie (2021).

For his fourth album, LUX (2023), he changes team, proclaims himself emperor of Geneva jazz, surrounds himself with the best musicians in his new city, and switches to generous, jubilant and comforting jazz.