Johann Bourquenez was born in Besançon (F) in 1976, where he learned to play the violin at the conservatoire. After taking a few jazz piano lessons, he moved to Toulouse in 1997 and trained at the « Music Halle » jazz school, before playing with various groups in France. He moved to Geneva (CH) in 2006, where he founded the Plaistow trio, which would play internationally and release a dozen albums between 2007 and 2017. He then took a step aside, ceasing his musical activities and moving to Marseille for two years, followed by four years in the Drôme (French department). During this time he campaigned for the climate, took an interest in agro-ecology, and learnt to play the guitar. He then returned to the piano, recorded a small album of spontaneous compositions, and developed a solo repertoire. From 2023 he gradually returns to Geneva to develop this new artistic direction.
With a wide range of influences, in his first groups he played electric piano (Fender Rhodes) and analogue synthesizer (SH101), attempting to bridge the gap between electronic music and jazz. With the Plaistow trio he developed a purely acoustic approach with the piano, drawing inspiration from American minimalism as much as from the more abstract currents of electronics, notably with drones based on fast, repetitive motifs. He continues this exploration in his solo work, often writing in a polyrhythmic and modal style that incorporates impressionist elements.
Concerts : Bimhuis (Amsterdam, NL), Lantaren Venster (Rotterdam, NL), Mondriaan Jazz Festival (Den Haag, NL), AMR, Zoo, Spoutnik (Geneva, CH), Moods (Zürich, CH), Montreux Jazz festival (CH), Koktebel Jazz Festival (UKR), Le Mandala (Toulouse, F), Les Nuits Sonores, Le Périscope (Lyon, F), Centre Culturel Suisse, Le Batofar (Paris, F), Ausland (Berlin, D), Unterfahrt (München, D), Kalbadevi (Mumbai, IND), Koen-Dori Classics (Tokyo, JP), NOIShanghai (Shanghai, CN)…
Bands: Plaistow (2007-2017), In Girum (2016-2017), Le Grand Chœur Noise (2014-2015)...
Selective Discography : Jamuary 2023 (solo, 2023), Titan (Plaistow, 2015), Lacrimosa (Plaistow, 2012), EP1 (In Girum, 2016)…
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