Paul Lay
Origin: France
About us
Unanimously recognized as "one of the greatest jazz pianists of his generation" (Le Monde), Paul Lay has won the most prestigious awards such as the Grand Prix du Disque de Jazz from the Charles Cros Academy, the Django Reinhardt Award, and the victory of the year’s jazz instrumental artist.
He is part of this generation that grew up with one foot in classical music, one foot in jazz.
Winner of the Instrumental Artist of the Year award at the Victoires du Jazz (2020), Paul Lay has won numerous prestigious prizes: the Soloist Prize at the Concours de la Défense, the Moscow Jazz Piano Competition, the Martial Solal Competition, the Montreux Competition and the Django Reinhardt Prize from the Académie du Jazz, amongst others...
Regularly invited to perform abroad, Paul Lay has appeared in New York, Toronto, Berlin and Warsaw. He has toured in Germany, Russia, Peru, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, China and Japan.
Paul is also the recipient of grants and schemes that make him an official representative of French jazz. He has performed at the International Jazz Day alongside Barbara Hendricks, as part of Marseille’s European Capital of Culture programme in 2013, at The Bridge 2017, and with the Mission for the 14-18 Centenary.
A prolific composer, he leads various projects under his own name, performing as a soloist, in duos and trios, as well as with a choir and symphony orchestra. In June 2021, Paul released his first solo piano album on the Gazebo label: ‘Full Solo’, featuring unique reinterpretations of Beethoven’s works. Upon its release, the album shot to the top of the Fnac sales charts in the Jazz/Blues category and received several awards, including the Victoires du Jazz. Since 2024, commissions for new works have been on the rise. Paul has composed two programmes for which he wrote the scores: ‘Waves of Light’ for jazz trio and chamber choir (recording due for release in autumn 2025) and ‘Rhapsody in Blue Extended’ for jazz trio and orchestra, which received its world premiere at the Jazzdor Festival, performed by the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Wayne Marshall. 2025 also saw the premiere of “Un Français à New York” with the Pays de la Loire National Orchestra, an original work by Paul Lay loosely inspired by Gershwin’s famous symphonic poem *An American in Paris*.
For the cinema, Paul composed the soundtrack for the film *Ravens*, a biopic by director Mark Gill, which won an award at the Austin Film Festival in Texas in 2024.
His extensive discography — nine albums in ten years — has been acclaimed by the press. His first solo recording, *Full Solo* (2021), a tribute to Beethoven, shot straight to the top of the Fnac sales charts upon its release.
Acclaimed for his latest album of original compositions, *L’Odyssée* (2024), which retraces Ulysses’ journey through foreign lands, Paul is planning the release in 2026 of a new, previously unreleased album recorded with his American quartet (Ingrid Jansen, Nicole Glover and Larry Grenadier) as part of the FACE intercultural programme.
Since 2022, Paul Lay has been a lecturer in jazz piano at the Conservatoire National Supérieu
Associated Projects
Line-up: Paul Lay (piano) - Clemens van der Feen (contrebasse) - Donald Kontomanou (batterie).
As part of a trio, Paul Lay takes us on captivating journeys:
- PAUL LAY’S ODYSSEY
“This Odyssey is a grand and splendid musical journey that continues the adventure of the most famous sailor in the world of jazz – a world to which, as a great improviser, he seems, thanks to Paul Lay, to have always belonged.”
Acclaimed for his latest trio album, loosely based on Homer’s Odyssey, Paul Lay confirms his calling as a composer.
Ulysses’s wanderings take the form of a personal journey for Paul, who ventures into the hero’s inner meanderings and sets his journey to music through
worlds populated by fantastical creatures.
An absolutely magnificent album! TSF Jazz
You can’t help but feel happy and enriched after listening to such an intimate, inspired and masterfully crafted epic from start to finish. CHOC Jazz Magazine
Unique in so many ways, this album of original compositions captivates us with its depth, richness and joyful solemnity. France Musique
- BLUE IN GREEN - TRIBUTE TO BILL EVANS
Paul Lay and his trio revisit some of Bill Evans’ finest compositions (Blue in Green, Very Early, The Two Lonely People), as well as some of the great jazz standards
for which he was the definitive interpreter: Alice in Wonderland and You Must Believe in Spring. Hailed by critics upon its release on the Scala Music label, the album ‘Blue in Green’ (Choc Jazz Magazine) was nominated at the latest Victoires de la Musique Jazz awards.
Musicians you can follow with your eyes closed are rare. Paul Lay is one of them. Just as compelling in his forays into folk (Vagabonds) as he is with Beethoven (Full Solo), Bach and Bill Evans, the pianist demonstrates consistent taste and boundless imagination. Télérama
- BACH'S GROOVE
A stirring tribute to J. S. Bach, whose compositional style – regarded as the most rhythmic of all – has inspired countless jazz musicians. Reinterpreting familiar works by the master – from the Preludes and Fugues to two luminous chorales, including ‘Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring’ – Paul Lay has composed a brand-new score that incorporates Oscar Peterson’s astonishing ‘Bach Suite’, rarely performed in concert. Drawing on the precision and sensitivity of Miles Davis (a nod to ‘Bag’s Groove’), Paul Lay crafts atmospheric pieces with that innate sense of swing and groove that is his hallmark.
From a tribute to the giant of the Baroque, Paul Lay has crafted a masterpiece. Bruno Pfeiffer, Couleurs Jazz
Line-up: Paul Lay - piano
A love of heritage and a passion for creativity can go hand in hand. Paul Lay, the most remarkable discovery in jazz piano in recent years, draws on a wide range of songbooks, whether it be Billie Holiday’s repertoire, American popular music from the late 19th century, or Beethoven’s works.
Line-up: Paul Lay - piano, Clemens van der Feen - contrebasse, Donald Kontomanou - batterie, Chœur de chambre Les Éléments (direction Joël Suhubiette)
A unique programme at the crossroads of jazz and choral singing, “Waves of Light” brings together Paul Lay’s trio and Les Éléments. The 21-voice chamber choir, conducted by Joël Suhubiette, joins the trio – comprising piano, double bass and drums – in a score composed by Paul Lay.
For this original work centred on the theme of light, Paul drew inspiration from poems by Pablo Neruda, Henry David Thoreau, Victor Hugo and Emily Dickinson. These pieces are complemented by works by Bach, Purcell and Ligeti, arranged for the same ensemble.
Line-up: solo ou trio ou trio + orchestre symphonique
To mark the centenary of the premiere of Gershwin’s *Rhapsody in Blue* in 2024, Paul Lay has explored the many facets of this revolutionary work.
By combining the orchestra with his jazz trio, Paul offers his own interpretation of the 1942 version, adding three Gershwin pieces arranged and orchestrated especially for this line-up (‘Summertime’, ‘Nice Work If You Can Get It’ and ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’).
Programme available in several versions
- Solo piano
- Piano, double bass and drums trio
- Symphonic (instrumentation adaptable to suit the orchestra)
To mark the centenary of the legendary *Rhapsody in Blue*, Paul Lay reinterprets the American composer’s seminal work with a completely free and daring approach. This piece, which breaks down the boundaries between classical music and jazz, becomes, in his hands, a realm of exploration, reinvention and musical jubilation.
Few jazz pianists tackle the standards with such subtlety, intelligence, humour and mastery. Every motif, every nuance is breathed into with new life, blending swing, lyricism and modernity, without ever betraying Gershwin’s spirit. The result is an elegance brimming with vivacity and a rare sense of musical storytelling, where the joy of playing rivals artistic rigour.
Alongside him are two exceptional collaborators: Clemens van der Feen, a double bassist with an elegant and profound style, and Donald Kontomanou, a drummer with a keen ear and a flair for subtle nuances. Together, they form a trio of rare cohesion, capable of creating a dialogue between tradition and improvisation, between the rigour of the score and the spontaneity of the moment, between collective energy and intimate pauses.
Paul Lay’s trio does not merely pay homage to a repertoire: it transforms it, breathing new life into it in the present. This concert is an invitation to rediscover Gershwin in a new light. It is elegant, inspired and magnificently alive!
