Martial Solal

Born in Algeria to musician parents, Martial Solal began studying the piano at the age of 6. By 1950, a 23-year-old Solal had moved to Paris, begun collaborating with well-known jazz musicians, and embarked on his recording career. A talented performer, Solal gained international attention and spent much of the 1960s playing throughout Europe and the United States. He has recorded over 25 jazz albums, including "Jazz a Juan," his 1974 collaboration with American alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, and "Live at the Village Vanguard," a recording of his 2001 New York performance with François Moutin and Bill Stewart. Solal has composed the musical scores for over 20 films, and is perhaps best known for his score of the 1960 crime drama "Breathless," which was New-Wave filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard's first feature film. Other notable scores by Solal include the 1960 French comedy "It Happened All Night" and the 1962 Finnish dramedy "The Flamboyant Sex." After composing the score for the 1983 drama "Ballade à Blanc," Solal took a 17-year break from writing film scores, instead refocusing on his performing and recording career, producing nine albums in that time. He finally returned to film in 2000 with his score for director Bertrand Blier's comedy "Actors."