Sophie Alour wins the Django Reinhardt Prize

Since 1955, the Académie du Jazz has been rewarding the best jazz musicians, albums and books in several categories. This year, due to the health context, the traditional ceremony could not take place, but this did not prevent the institution from establishing its list of winners. The ten winners of the 2020 awards were unveiled on FIP radio last Wednesday, March 10, in the presence of Sophie Alour, Alain Jean-Marie, Diego Imbert and David Linx, who were all awarded this year.

Tenor saxophonist, flutist and composer Sophie Alour received the prestigious Django Reinhardt Prize, which recognizes an artist for their overall activity and contribution to French jazz during the past year.

The musician released last year her seventh opus, Joy, nominated at the Victoires du Jazz 2020. The album brings together jazz artists and musicians from the East, including the Egyptian oud player and singer Mohamed Abozekry.

"Enriching one's sound palette with an oriental instrument such as the oud, forces one to take a different path, to find a language, free of the aesthetic codes of jazz, free of the conventions of the genre. The meeting with Mohamed Abozekry was crucial, because Mohamed is a true improviser, who, if he does not have the same references, has a deep knowledge of the music and a great technical mastery of the instrument. Surrounded by drummer Donald Kontomanou, double bass player Philippe Aerts, pianist Damien Argentieri and with Wassim Halal on oriental percussions as a guest, everything becomes possible..."

Sophie Alour also participates in the famous Lady Quartet of the organist Rhoda Scott and in Christophe Dal Sasso's Big Band, nominated at the Victoires du Jazz in 2020 in the category Group of the Year.

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