Born in Oran, Algeria, in 1957, Pierre Bensusan’s family moved to Paris when he was four years old. He began formal studies on classical piano at the age of seven and at eleven decided to teach himself guitar. Influenced in those early days by the folk revival blooming in Great Britain, France and North America, Bensusan began first to explore his own diverse musical heritage and then moved to the horizons beyond.
At seventeen he signed his first recording contract, and one year later his first album Pres de Paris (1976) won the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque upon his debut at the Montreux Festival in Switzerland. Working exclusively in the unusual DADGAD tuning, Pierre has developed a bitter-sweet melodic approach that incorporates Celtic lines with Latin and North African rhythms and wordless vocals in the jazz scat tradition. International tours, innovative recordings and publications like The Guitar Book (1984) have established him as a reputable musician.
Bensusan has established himself as a compelling concert performer and a stellar contributor to festivals of folk, jazz and Celtic music, including Montreux, Cambridge, Montreal, Vancouver, Mariposa, Printemps de Bourges, Rotterdam, Vienna and Lorient. Nice Feeling is a retrospective collection from his extraordinary career so far.
Other notable activities in the current season include: invitations to major guitar festivals in Cordoba (Spain), Belfast (Northern Ireland) and Brighton (England); compositional commissions for choir and instrumental ensemble for the French cities of Poitiers and Boulogne Sur Mer; release of the “Pierre Bensusan Signature” Lowden guitar model; and a new solo album for Zebra/Warner.
With his family, Bensusan now bases himself in the French countryside, near Paris.
Discography:
Solilai (Rounder Select, 1982)
Spices (Rounder Select, 1987)
Pres De Paris (Rounder Select, 1991)
Pres De Paris/P.B. 2 (Rounder Select, 1992)
Musiques (Rounder Select, 1993)
Wu Wei (Rounder Select, 1995)
Live in Paris (Zebra Records/WEA, 1998)
Nice Feeling (Zebra Records/WEA, 1999)
Musique (BMG, 2000)
Intuite (Favored Nations, 2001)
Anthology (Dadgad Music, 2003)
An Evening With International Guitar Night (2004)
Altiplanos (Favored Nations, 2005)
Vividly (Dadgad Music, 2010)
Encore (Dadgad Music, 2013), triple album of live recordings
Website: www.pierrebensusan.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
