Joachim Caffonnette, born July 4, 1989. Although it is not something to be proud of, this useless fact might seem to make sense from the perspective of a European jazz musician. Caffonnette was born from the union of an avant-garde actress from around the world and a father who excelled in multi-tasking. His childhood was spent touring, behind the scenes at theatres, and in dressing rooms. When his mother asked him to choose an instrument for his 5th birthday, Caffonnette chose the piano. God only knows why. Caffonnette began to practice the instrument in a casual way and then devoted his time to a variety of other activities, including drawing, chess playing, writing, theatre, football and cooking. Caffonnette discovered jazz music in his teens and decided, at age 14, that he wanted a career as a jazz pianist. It is possible that this assumption is incorrect, but jazz musicians find a deep understanding of classical music to be a great asset. Caffonnette decided to follow that belief and enrolled in a high school for classical music. He improved his piano skills and learned how to counterpoint and solfeggio. He suggested his own arrangements to his chamber music teachers, and he also wrote his first compositions. These were performed at auditions as well as exams. He was accepted into the Royal Conservatory of Brussels’ jazz class, where he studied with Eric Legnini and other musicians. Caffonnette, who was 19 years old, enthusiastically joined the Brussels jam sessions. He mixed academic teaching with the traditional way of learning jazz. His American uncle and the friends of his family around the globe allowed him to travel a lot. He also spent several nights in New-York City, where he was able to enjoy the jazz energy of the city. He found his favorite place at the local media library, where he recorded audiotapes of tons of Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, and Michel Petrucciani albums. He was 20 years old when he was captivated by the many talents of New York’s jazz scene. In fact, he attended an Italian workshop led by Kurt Rosenwinkel, a guitarist from the United States. The young man became a hardworking composer thanks to Rosenwinkel’s music and Brad Mehldau and Caffonnette’s love of classical music from the late 19th or early 20th centuries. He added a saxophone to the band’s lineup and put aside his piano-bass drum trio. The quintet continued to grow from that point on. Caffonnette honed his skills at the jazz clubs in Brussels, including the Sounds Jazz Club. The club provided Caffonnette with an artistic residence that allowed him to experiment, play and learn as much as any conservatory could. Joachim Caffonnette is a tireless practitioner of jazz standards, composing, playing, and arranging music for any kind of ensembles, teaching and learning. Kris Defoort was his teacher and he opened his eyes to avant-garde music. He released “Simplexity” his first album in 2015 at the age of 26. Since then, he has continued to steer his ship into the wild artistic world of 21st century. Caffonnette has been the chairman of “Les Lundis d’Hortense” since June 2018. He is a passionate cook and runs a Facebook group where he shares his vegan recipes. He also wrote a first novel that will hopefully be published in 2020. from www.joachimcaffonnette.com
