Colin Vallon

French jazz pianist Colin Vallon makes modern creative jazz with plenty of atmosphere and a post-bop sense of improvisation. Born in Lausanne in 1980, Vallon studied jazz privately before enrolling in the Swiss Jazz School at age 18. By the late '90s, he was performing regularly with his own trio in Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe. He released his debut solo album, Les Ombres, on Unit in 2004. His sophomore effort, Ailleurs, appeared in 2007 on Hatology. As Vallon's profile grew, he garnered several awards including the Fridl-Wald Foundation Prize, and took third place in the Montreux International Jazz Piano Solo Competition. In 2008 he received the Nico Kaufmann Foundation Prize and in 2009 he won the Pro Helvetia high-priority jazz promotion. When not performing, Vallon teaches at the Bern University of the Arts. In 2011, Vallon released his fourth studio effort, Rruga, on ECM with his long-standing trio featuring bassist Patrice Moret and drummer Samuel Rohrer. In 2012, Rohrer left and was replaced by Julian Sartorius. The pianist and his trio entered Oslo's Rainbow Studio in 2013 and emerged with Le Vent, which was released in March of 2014.