Erik Truffaz

Erik Truffaz

Erik Truffaz is a Swiss-born jazz trumpeter and bandleader, born in 1960 and associated with jazz, acid jazz, fusion and contemporary jazz. He begins playing in his father’s dance band at the age of ten, after an early introduction to music through his saxophonist father. He later plays with other regional groups before hearing Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue at 16, which leads him to study at the Geneva Conservatoire in Switzerland.

Early musical development

At the conservatoire, Truffaz broadens his repertoire beyond jazz and works on music by composers including Mozart and Verdi. He also performs with the Orchestre de Suisse Romande and plays in cover bands before forming Orange, a group focused on his own compositions. Drummer Marc Erbetta is among Orange’s members and continues to work with Truffaz as his career develops.

Recognition and live work

Truffaz receives the 1991 Prix Special from France’s Jury du Concours National de la Defense, described as a major jazz award in that context. That same year he makes the first of three appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival. From 1994, he tours Europe, Russia and Brazil for two years with support from the ProHelvetia Foundation.

Recordings and style

Truffaz becomes a bandleader with the release of Nina Valeria. He signs with Blue Note in 2000 and releases The Mask, a straight-ahead jazz recording with clear Miles Davis influences. On later albums such as Revisite and Mantis, he expands his sound by bringing in drum’n’bass and hip-hop rhythms. Bending New Corners and Walk of the Giant Turtle both appear on Blue Note in 2003, and Saloua follows in 2005 with added rap elements. His discography also includes The Dawn, Out Of A Dream, Magrouni, Face-a-Face and Arhangelsk.