Erik Truffaz, a Swiss musician born in 1960, was introduced to the professional world of music by his father who played the saxophone. The French trumpeter started performing in his father’s dance band at the age of ten. Truffaz began performing in other bands throughout the region as he grew up. He heard Kind of Blue by Miles Davis when he was 16. He was inspired by the great jazz trumpeter’s music and set out for Switzerland’s Geneva Conservatoire to become a student. Truffaz expanded his repertoire to include works by Mozart, Verdi and he performed with Orchestre de Suisse Romande. Before forming Orange, he was also a member of cover bands. The band mainly focused on Truffaz compositions. Marc Erbetta was one of its members and he continued to play drums with Truffaz throughout his career. Truffaz’s exceptional jazz fusion talent led France’s Jury du Concours National de la Defense a bestow the 1991 Prix Special award, which is France’s most prestigious jazz award. He was a leader in the music industry with Nina Valeria’s release three years later. He made his first appearance on the Montreux Jazz Festival stage in 1991. He toured Europe, Russia and Brazil for two years, beginning in 1994. This was thanks to the ProHelvetia Foundation. Blue Note Records signed Truffaz in 2000 and issued The Mask. This jazz session had many Miles Davis-like similarities. Truffaz’s second Revisite, and third Mantis, discs were his first to incorporate drum’n’bass as well as hip-hop rhythms. This was his breakthrough album and he established himself as an artist of distinction. Blue Note issued both Walk of the Giant Turtle (and Bending New Corners) in 2003. Saloua added rap to his hip-hop interest starting in 2005. Discography – * Arhangelsk (2007) // Face-a-Face (2CDLiveDVD) (2006) * Saloua (2005) • The Walk Of The Giant Turtle (2003) • Magrouni (2002) • Revisite (2001); * Mantis (1999); Bending New Corners (1999); * The Dawn (1998); * Out Of A Dream (1997) * Nina Valeria (1994). User-contributed text may also be available under GNU FDL.
