Dominique Pifarely revolutionized French jazz violin by combining exceptional technical skills with a broad idea of music-making. He was born in Begles, 1957. At six years old, he started playing the classical violin and received a First Prize Conservatory degree in 1977. Didier Levallet, the bassist, invited him to join his Swing Strings System (Paris Suite and Eurydice Evidence, 1978) and play with Gerard Marais (Eowyin), 1981. He quickly became a popular straight jazz player, and he performed with Eddy Louiss (Multicolor Feeling and Nocturne). However, he was soon able to join some of Europe’s more adventurous bands, such as Mike Westbrook’s (On Dukes’ Birthday, HatART) or the Vienna Art Orchestra. Pifarely began working with Louis Sclavis in 1985. In 1992, he formed the Sclavis/Pifarely Acoustic Quartet. It featured guitarist Marc Ducret, bassist Bruno Chevillon and was recorded for ECM. Pifarely also appears in the Sclavis sextet/quintet recording with both of them for ECM. In 1988, Insula Dulcamara (Nocturne) was his first album as a leader. Pifarely is a leader and splits his time with his quintet, which includes guitarist Marc Ducret and pianist Francois Couturier. He also holds duo/trio meetings, where he meets musicians such as Joachim Kuhn (The Fitting Room), Enja), Stefano Battaglia (“Triplicity, Splasc(h), Rabih Abou Khalil” (Yara, Enja) and Carlos Zingaro (Icis and In Situ). His mature style combines the best of both classical and swing violin traditions with modern European sonic exploration. He has a quick imagination and technical mastery that allows him to seamlessly move between these two worlds. Pifarely is a strong advocate for small-group acoustic interaction, which can make his playing exciting. Allmusic
