Jean-Philippe Rykiel

b. Paris, France. An associate of the famous Parisian fashion family members Rykiel, Jean-Phillippe thought we would pursue his profession like a musician and arranger rather, producing his name by collaborating with African music artists. In 1993 he was cited by Folk Origins journal as ‘the just western musician to try out successfully inside the Manding and Wolof idioms’, a tribute predicated on his are co-arranger and key pad participant on Salif Keita’s Soro (Stern’s 1987), and Youssou N’Dour’s Eye Open up (40 Acres 1992). Affected by Thelonious Monk like a youngsters, Rykiel discovered piano from age six, and was consequently sent to a particular college for the blind. His 1st connection with African music arrived in the past due 70s, of which period he was a keen fan of intensifying rock organizations. Captivated from the music he noticed via a Ghanaian friend, Federea Agyeman, they created a new music group with previous Gong users Didier Malherba (saxophone) and Winston Berkley (bass). Called Bloom, the group by no means recorded but performed broadly around French jazz night clubs at the change of the 10 years. Later on he and Agyeman travelled to Ghana simply because the Rawlings coup occurred, but through jamming with regional musicians Rykiel guaranteed himself a location in Senegalese music group Xalam. He became a member of them on trips of the united states, Canada and Japan, focusing on two of their albums, Xalit and Apartheid. It had been in a Xalam rehearsal he 1st fulfilled Keita. His romantic relationship with N’Dour also started within the 80s. This resulted in his focus on Eye Open up, co-arranging alongside the designer’s regular key pad participant Habib Faye, and producing several concert looks. Other African performers he spent some time working with consist of Ousmane Kouyaté, Boncana Maiga and Tata Bambo Kouyaté.