ENZO CARNIEL

Pianist and sonic explorer, Enzo Carniel will open in 2024 the second chapter of his House of Echo trilogy, a quartet who celebrates 10 years of existence.

« Beyond Cyborgs », half organic – half electronic repertoire, is questioning the relation mankind maintains with machines and digital universes.

In that perpective the acoustic quartet, electronics and artificial intelligence will at times play in harmony, at times invert roles or merge…

The project was in artistic residency at Scène Nationale Châteauvallon-Liberté in Toulon, south of France.

Enzo Carniel is a French jazz pianist born in 1987. He began studying classical piano and discovered jazz during his adolescence. After five years of medicine study at the Faculty of Marseille, he decided to devote himself entirely to this music, he won a medal in 2009 at the CNR of Marseille. He then joined the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in the Jazz and Improvised Music class (CNSMDP). In June 2015, he won the first prize (master of performance) from the CNSMDP and the generative improvisation prize.

His research and all his collaborations give birth to the “House of Echo” quartet, which combines long improvised tracks and compositions. Influenced by Paul Bley, Thelonious Monk, Keith Jarrett, and the great pianists of jazz history, he attempts to explore the sound palettes and interactive possibilities of the piano. His approach is based on the birth of musical ideas in the present moment, in non-aesthetic judgment: a “raw” approach to improvisation using all its influences and sensations. At the same time, Enzo Carniel was interested in contemporary music, improvised music, as well as electronic music, from which he drew inspiration in his composition process and his personal artistic identity.

In 2014, in collaboration with the NoMadMusic label, he recorded his first solo piano album called Erosions. On September 1, 2017, the second opus of his House of Echo quartet, Echoides, was released on the Jazz&People label. The album was acclaimed by the press and the media. In 2019, Enzo Carniel is part of the JazzMigration#4 system, he is on tour throughout Europe but also in North America (French Quarter organized by Paris Jazz Club) throughout the year. This one-year tour gave birth to the album WALLSDOWN, a futuristic music concept, released in April 2020, which combines the playing of the acoustic quartet, with electronic music, sound design, and production. He explores still virgin paths of jazz, mixed with ambient music, and contemporary music.

In 2021, he released the album ARIA with trombonist Filippo Vignato, they performed in France and Italy. In 2022, Enzo Carniel participates in the USA and Canada tour of the National Jazz Orchestra (ONJ) ​​with Steve Lehman: he performs in New York, Washington, Montreal and Providence. In 2023 the quartet NO(w) Beauty (co-lead with Hermon Mehari, Stéphane Adsuar and Damien Varaillon) releases their first eponymous opus. That same year, he created a new trio with Stéphane Kerecki and Gautier Garrigue.

Enzo Carniel also performs in numerous projects as a sideman: Christophe Panzani, Charley Rose, Antoine Berjeaut, Olivier Laisney, Olga Amelchenko…

Enzo Carniel holds a CA in teaching Jazz and improvised music, obtained in 2018 at the CNSMDP. He teaches at the Montreuil Conservatory and at the Sup Paris Boulogne Billancourt pole (PSPBB).