Franck Amsallem
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Franck Amsallem (born 1961, Oran, Algeria) is a French musician.
Franck Amsallem was born into a large, Sephardic Jewish family and grew up in Nice, France. His parents repatriated the family piano when they were forced to leave Oran in 1961 during the Algerian War of Independence and started Franck on classical piano at the age of seven. However, the challenges of establishing a new life in France made serious musical study difficult, and he gave it up a few years later. Fortunately, however, his family owned a large collection of 45 records in which Ray Charles mixed with Glenn Miller and the Four Tops. The seductive sounds of the blues and swing lead Franck to enroll in the Nice Conservatory where, considered too old for the piano, he signed up for classical saxophone for which he earned a first prize.
But the piano remained his first love. At age 17, Franck was selected by John Lewis as his student for the French documentary, "La leçon de musique." Soon afterwards, having jammed offstage at the Nice jazz festival with Jerry Bergonzi, Mike Brecker and Richie Cole, Franck was strongly encouraged to move to the United States to hone his skills and learn the jazz sound on its home ground. He made the move almost immediately, entering Berklee College in Boston, MA in 1981. "At 19, I did not see myself backing up pop singers in Paris and playing jazz on the side, which was what everyone was doing then. Like the song says, it was 'All or Nothing at All.'"
Franck remained in Boston for three years, earning numerous awards, performing in Herb Pomeroy’s big band and attending his composition and arranging classes. The desire for a wider exposure to the jazz world led Franck to move to New York City in 1986. There he attended the Manhattan School of Music and studied composition for jazz orchestra with Bob Brookmeyer and, at the same time, took outside lessons in classical piano with Phil Kawin. Both Brookmeyer and Kawin were profound influences on Franck's growth as a composer, arranger and pianist during this time.
In 1990, with the help of prize money from the French "Fondation de la Vocation" and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, Franck made his now classic debut recording “Out A Day,” a trio with Gary Peacock and Bill Stewart. Franck received numerous accolades for "Out A Day," including a superb review in the Penguin Guide to Jazz, who gave it a top four-star rating and wrote: "We are in danger of gushing and embarrassing ourselves. Sample this wonderful recording at all costs." Franck followed up this success with a turn in the all-star recording "New York Stories" which also featured Joshua Redman, Bobby Watson, Roy Hargrove and Danny Gatton.
Next, Franck began a long collaboration with saxophonist Tim Ries. Their recording “Regards” earned four stars in Down beat. “Is That So,” their second recording, featured jazz drummer Leon Parker, and their third, “Years Gone By”, was recorded with Daniel Humair and Riccardo Del Fra.
In 2000, Franck brought out “On Second Thought." Heralded as a CD of rare intensity, it is a live recording from a working band where everything comes together successfully without a hitch.
Franck has performed in many of the big jazz festivals, from Juan les Pins to Pori, from Nice to Molde. With his trio he has performed in such diverse places as Uruguay, Mexico, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Croatia, the Ukraine, Norway, Palestine, Switzerland, Belgium, Armenia, Lebanon, South Africa, and Bulgaria. Over the years, Franck has backed Gerry Mulligan, Charles Lloyd and Harry Belafonte, recorded with Bobby Watson, Roy Hargrove and Joshua Redman, and performed in the bands of Maria Schneider, Rick Margitza, Jerry Bergonzi and Joe Chambers. He has composed numerous pieces for big band, as well as for strings and for chamber orchestra. His suite "Nuits," for jazz quartet and string orchestra, has been performed in Romania, Bulgaria, France and in Los Angeles. "I love the variety of situations, learning as you go along, challenging every solution, nothing ever preset."
In the fall of 2003, Franck returned to the trio form in "Summer Times" (Nocturne/Sunnyside), which featured Johannes Weidenmuller on bass and Joe Chambers on drums. Such jazz publications as Telerama and JazzTimes describe the work thus: "...laid-back yet brash, simple yet complex, unassuming yet confident and above all original."
2005-06 saw Franck perform in the U.S. (Washington D.C., New York); undertake a nine-city tour of South Africa and neighboring countries; and perform in Israel, Holland, Croatia, Portugal, Spain, Armenia, and Lebanon.
In the fall of 2005, Nocturne released "A week in Paris", a tribute to Billy Strayhorn (though containing original compositions as well). This latest effort features singer Elisabeth Kontomanou, saxophonist Rick Margitza and the well-known French trumpet player Stephane Belmondo.
