Matthieu Bordenave

French saxophonist and clarinetist Matthieu Bordenave is known for his painterly modern creative jazz. Based in Munich, Germany, he released a handful of albums on Enja before moving to ECM for 2020's album La Traversée and 2024's The Blue Land; both featuring his trio with Patrice Moret and Florian Weber. Born in 1983 in Tarbes, France, Bordenave started on saxophone at young age, studying classical with Christian Charnay and jazz improvisation with Thierry Girault. At age 17, he moved to Paris to study with André Villéger. Around the same time, he enrolled at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris (CNSM) where he studied jazz and improvised music. He eventually moved to Germany where he earned a Master of Music from the Musikhochschule of Munich. As a professional, he has played with a bevy of artists, including Lee Konitz, Rudi Mahall, Yaron Herman, and others. In 2011, he made his recorded debut as a leader with Some Other Time, featuring Peter O'Mara, Henning Sieverts, and Matthias Gmelin. He eventually signed with Enja, releasing 2014's Plays Edith Piaf, which showcased his Le Café Bleu International trio with Leonard Kuhn and Jay Lateef. He then joined forces with guitarist Geoff Goodman for 2015's Introverted Forest, before returning to Le Café Bleu International on 2016's Tells Bedtime Stories. In 2017, he debuted his quartet on Terre de Sienne, featuring Peter O'Mara, Henning Sieverts, and Shinya Fukumori. In 2020, he made his ECM debut with La Traversée, which introduced his trio with Patrice Moret and Florian Weber. The same group returned in 2024 with The Blue Land on ECM. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi