FOUR ROSES'S BIOGRAPHY
Florence Chitacumbi, vocal, composition, lyrics
Born in switzerland. Autodidact.
First steps on stage twenty years ago, has work out a unique phrasing where
she puts together her inspirations which are soul music, jazz and African
music.
Le 6esens revisité : creation signed Florence Chitacumbi, Christophe
Calpini, Vulzor, Pierre Drevet and le Big Band de Lausanne (Cully jazz festival
2004, Théâtre de l’Heure bleue, La Chaux-de-Fonds 2005).
Tours in Switzerland with her project Akoustik-new-soul with the guitar player
Laurent Poget (2004). Songwriter and vocalist for Simon B Gurten Festival
2004, tours in Switzerland, Future Sound of jazz with Jan Galega 2004, Reasons
(sounds natural distribute by disques offices winner of the swiss music award
2003). 6e sens, concerts, festival, expo 02 (2002).
Creation of the musical comedy Fame voices direction. Vocal classes at BBM
74 (Neuchâtel) and Ton sur Ton (La Chaux-de-Fonds). Expert for professionnal
vocalist exam at L’EJMA (Lausanne) 2002-2001.Creation with le Big Band
de Lausanne, Duke’s place and the Duke Ellington sacred music, Ollon
du Jazz, Bern jazz festival, Midem Cannes. Coming out of the album 6e sens
mixed by David Richards (Queen) at the Mountain studio in Montreux, tours
(2000). Show with the actor Jean-Pierre Cassel.
Collaboration:
Valery Lobe, Yves N’jock, Teri Moïse, Christophe Calpini, Grégoire
Maret, Atlantique, Doumbé Djengué, Zenzie Lee, Maciré
Sylla, Vulzor, Cyrille Bugnon, Robbie Seidel, Tony d’Addario, Marc Berthoumieux,
Pierre Audétat, Patrick Müller, Pierre Angelo Crescenzo, Erik
Truffaz, Julien Clerc, Benoit Corboz, Florence Melnotte, Marc Erbetta, Julien
Feltin, Mimmo Pisino, Maurizio Peretti, Christophe Bovet, Béatrice
Graf, Karolin Höfler, Adam Nussbaum, Jon Faddis, Anne-Florence Schneider,
Alice Botté, Marcello Gullianni, Alberto Malo, Colonel Red, Alex Attias,
Willow, Mister Mike, Djamin, Jan Galega, Simon B, Pierre Drevet, Jean-Pierre
Cassel, Julien Charlet, Jean-Claude Ghrenassia.
Selective discography:
Florence Chitacumbi , 6e sens/do/2000
Florence Chitacumbi, uniq/cod/ 1994
Four Roses/Histoire d’eau/ as/ 1997
Four Roses/ cod
Reasons/ sounds natural/do/ 2003
Maciré Sylla/cod/ 2001
Willow/ BMG/ 1994
Florence Melnotte , piano, composition
Born in France in 1965
Studied at the Ecole Normale De Paris and at the CIM with Laurent Cugny and
J.C Levinson 1980-1991.
1993 : first price at the Tremplin du Val d’Oise with the Florence Melnotte
Quartet.
1994: first price at the Jazz sous les Pommiers competition .
Second price at the Concours National de la Défense.
1995:first price at the Tremplin jazz d’Avignon.
1997:first price at the Tremplin Jazz de Lorient .
Working as a leader, composer and sidewoman between the USA and France, for
concerts, festivals , dance and tapdance exhibitions, theater music , in solo
, duo and quartet.
Teacher at Fairfield University (CT), and Neighborhood school of Music (CT)
1998-2004.
Regular groups:
Brian Torff trio, Jeff Fuller duo,Tony Lombardozzi duo, Four Roses, Ed Vick
band, Susan Matheke Dance project
Performed with :
Thierry Arpino, Vincent Mascart, Nat Reeves, Dave Santoro, Jesse Hameen, Jean-
Philippe Zwahlen, ivor Malherbe, Philippe Aerts,Dave Dana, Jaimoe( Allman
Brothers),Steve Clark, Gordon Lane, Jim Fryer, Lynn Christie , Dave Daddario,
Harry Allen , Gary Brunton etc…
Recordings:
1993: Ali On Broadway (Toufic Farouck)
1995: Geneve- Paris (Florence Melnotte Quartet)
1997: Four Roses
2000:Set in Motion (Ed Vick0
2001:Histoire d’Eau ( Four Roses)
2002: Another Great Day ( duo with B. Torff)
Béatrice Graf, drums, composition
Born in Switzerland.
Started the drums at sixteen. Certificate of Jazz drumming from the Geneva
Popular Conservatory (1989). Workshops at AMR ( Geneva) and with J. De Johnette,
P.Erskine, H. Bennink.
Carte Blanche à B. Graf (AMR, Geneva,1996)
Recipient of Pro Helvetia (Swiss Cultural Fondation) for composition, 1997
Member of the board of SMS ( Swiss Music Syndicate)
Polyvalent (jazz, improvised music, rock, experimental, electronic, latin,
african or theatre music).Professional since 1992. Concentrate now more on
jazz , improvised music, composition.
Has toured in many countries/ festivals around the world (USA, Bolivia, Colombia,
Marocco, Sénégal, South Africa, Madagascar,Russia, Czech Republic,
Germany, Italia, Belgia, England, France, Liechtenstein…)
Regular groups:
Peter Schärli special sextet feat. Glenn
Ferris (USA), Four Roses, Von Grafenberg, solo, Philippe Ehinger (duo Beat
and Lip), Hélène Corini, Michel Wintsch, Vinz Vonlanthen, Ian
Gordon Lennox, Guillaume Perret, Nicolas Sordet..
Performed with:
James Zollar, Darius and Mathew Brubeck, Amampondo (Cape Town 1998) Corin
Curschellas, Hélène Labarrière, Sylvie Courvoisier, James
Carter, Tom Varner, Al Grey Junior, , l’ Orchestre National du Sénégal
(Dakar, 1996), Brian Molko (Placebo), Maurice Magnoni, Jacques Demierre, Hans
Feigenwinter, Ohad Talmor , Erik Truffat, Hilde Kappes, Philippe Aerts, …
Selective discography:
Peter Schärli special sextet feat. Glenn Ferris and Tom Varner : Hot
peace ( to come out soon on Enja) Guilty (Enja 2001) Blues for the Beast (Enja
1997)
No techno dance ( Unit 2004)
Beat and Lip ( AS 2003)
Four Roses: Histoire d’eau ( AS 092) et Four Roses (Hear we go, 1997)
Deviana Daudsjah trio feat. Axel Fischbacher :For You ( 1992)
Hilde Kappes ( 2001)
Steve Buchanan Hommage to Tiny Grimes( 2001)
Karoline Höfler, doublebass
Born in Tübingen (Germany) in 1962.
1987 2nd price at the „youth jazzes“ contest (duo with Dieter
Fischer – git).
Studied at the music conservatory Stuttgart, faculty of jazz with a masters
degree under Thomas Stabenow 1987-92.
1992 – 98 leader of the group Charly Haigl`s Festival Band, who won
the 2nd price at the „concours international des orchesteres“
in Vienne/F.
1995 jazzprice of Baden-Württemberg.
1996 price at the IBK (trio with Ull Möck – p and Hans Fickelscher
– dr).
Working as a freelancer in many jazz-bands, from solo up to bigband, from
mainstream up to free improvisation. concerts, festivals, tours in foreign
contries, performance projects (also solo) for art exhibitions, film-, theater-,
radio drama-music, radio and TV recordings, CD recordings.
Working in the management of IG Jazz Stuttgart.
Teacher for doublebass.
Regular groups:
Dieter Fischer Trio (CD)
Ull Möck Trio (CD`s)
The GRAND Dizzy Krisch PIANO Trio
The VIP Vibraphone Trio
The Dizzy Krisch Vibraphone Quartet (CD)
Günter Weiss Quartet (CD)
Four Roses (Geneva/CD)
Gary Barone Quartet
Dance & Musikproject „Die Kontrabass“
Performed with:
Trio „modern dance & jazz“, Staatsoper Stuttgart, Staatstheater
Saarbrücken, „stötter`s nevertheless“ (Claus Stötter),
Jochen Feucht Trio, Marc Liebeskind Quartett (West-Africa tour, CD), Timeless
Art Orchestra (CD), Bobby Burgess Bigband (CD),Walter Lang Quintett (CD),
Orchestra-project with Butch Morris „Dirigat 107“, Filmmusic with
Fred Frith (rivers & tides), Theatermusic e.g. Theater Rampe in Stuttgart,
duo performance with Riccardo Del Fra, several stays in Jakarta/Indonesia
for concerts and teaching.....
Hans Koller, Bernd Konrad, Gabriele Hasler, Wolfgang Haffner, Irene Schweizer,
Don Menza, Bobby Shew, Adrian Mears, Allan Praskin, Andi Scherrer, Denis Badeault,
François Laizeaux, Indra Lesmana, ect......
