Christian Jacob

Biography

Christian Jacob (born May 8, 1958, in Metz, Lorraine, France) is a French jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and musical director. He began studying classical piano at the age of four and developed an early interest in the music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Around the age of nine or ten, he discovered jazz, drawing inspiration from legendary pianists Oscar Peterson and Dave Brubeck.

He studied at the Paris Conservatory under Pierre Sancan, where he received first prize in piano. In 1983, he moved to the United States to study jazz improvisation at Berklee College of Music in Boston. During his studies, he received several honours, including the Oscar Peterson Jazz Masters Award and recognition as DownBeat magazine's Top Collegiate Jazz Soloist. He graduated magna cum laude in 1985 and subsequently joined Berklee's faculty as a piano instructor.

Jacob gained wider recognition through his association with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, touring as musical director of his Big Bop Nouveau Band. He also performed and recorded with prominent musicians, including Gary Burton, Randy Brecker, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, Miroslav Vitous, Benny Golson, and Bill Holman.

He became widely known as the leader of the Christian Jacob Trio and as co-leader, pianist, and arranger for the Tierney Sutton Band. His recordings with Sutton earned multiple Grammy nominations. As an arranger and orchestrator, he has worked with the Swiss Youth Jazz Orchestra and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, collaborating with internationally acclaimed jazz musicians.

Jacob has also composed music for cinema. He collaborated with Clint Eastwood and the Tierney Sutton Band on the original score for Sully (2016) and later composed music for Eastwood's The 15:17 to Paris (2018). His other notable recordings include Time Lines (1999), Styne & Mine (2004), Contradictions (2006), Live in Japan (2008), Beautiful Jazz: A Private Concert (2014), and The Originals (2019).

Notable Albums and Projects

Maynard Ferguson Presents Christian Jacob (1997)

Time Lines (1999)

Styne & Mine (2004)

Contradictions (2006)

Live in Japan (2008)

Beautiful Jazz: A Private Concert (2014)

Sully (2016) – Film score

The 15:17 to Paris (2018) – Film music

The Originals (2019)

Awards and Recognition

Oscar Peterson Jazz Masters Award

Great American Jazz Piano Competition winner

DownBeat Top Collegiate Jazz Soloist

Multiple Grammy nominations for his work with the Tierney Sutton Band and as an arranger