Gaëlle Bagot & Juan Manuel Nieto – Jardin d’ailleurs (MusiqueLive / InOuïe Distribution, 2025)
French clarinetist and vocalist Gaëlle Bagot and Ecuadorian pianist Juan Manuel Nieto will release their debut album, Jardin d’ailleurs, on October 3, 2025. The project will be introduced to the public during a release concert at Les 2 Pianos in Paris on November 5. While we wait for the full album, the first single, “Ouvre les yeux,” arrived August 29.
The music on this recording is built on improvisation and oral tradition. The album features nine original compositions for clarinet, piano, and voice. Three tracks include contributions from guest artists Simon Lannoy (cello) and Oxyjinn (voice, beatbox), both known for their experimental and hybrid approaches.
Jardin d’ailleurs moves between jazz, global rhythms, and French chanson, shaped by contrapuntal clarinet lines, jazz-influenced piano harmonies, and expressive vocals.
Bagot and Nieto met in 2017 through the “Jazz, Improvised Music & Traditional Music” program at Pôle Sup’ 93 in Paris, where they studied with Vincent Ségal, Magic Malik, Julien Lourau, Bojan Z, and François Jeanneau. Following three years of shared exploration, they formed a minimalist duo in 2020, initially focused on arrangements of global folk songs before turning to original composition. Their work draws from an eclectic palette, including French chanson, salsa, Ecuadorian music, Brazilian MPB, Argentine traditions, Celtic music, Balkan sounds, and maloya.
Since 2021, the pair has performed at events such as the Saint-Denis Festival, Jazz in Noyon, Sunset-Sunside, and La Bellevilloise.
Born in Paris, Gaëlle Bagot began studying clarinet at age eight. She trained at the Gabriel Fauré Conservatory and the Conservatory of Boulogne-Billancourt before entering Pôle Sup’ 93, where she specialized in western classical music and contemporary clarinet. There, she also studied jazz, improvised, and traditional vocal music, earning a National Diploma of Professional Musician (DNSPM). She holds a Master’s degree in musicology, with a thesis on Bojan Z’s Balkan-influenced piano style.
Her projects span jazz, traditional music, and free improvisation, including work with L’Itération des Ondes, Eyeha, and Morse Attack. She also performs with Seksyon Maloya, a group dedicated to music from Reunion Island, and appears with the French chanson ensemble Le Caribou Volant, featured on their 2024 album Bohème Théorie.
In parallel with her performance career, Bagot teaches clarinet at the Arcueil and Charles Munch conservatories in Paris.
Author: Iliana Cabrera
