« Cédric is one of the most talented musicians I know.
His wide range of abilities from playing to arranging and sound design, makes him a triple threat »
Cédric Hanriot
BIO (long):
Cédric Hanriot is a pianist, composer, arranger, sound designer, and producer whose singular artistic voice has earned him international recognition. A recipient of several prestigious grants and international awards, he has collaborated with major figures of jazz and contemporary music, including Herbie Hancock, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ibrahim Maalouf, Donny McCaslin, and Erik Truffaz, among many others.
He notably served as pianist and sound designer on Beautiful Life by Dianne Reeves, alongside Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding, and Gregory Porter—an album that won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2015.
Driven by curiosity and a passion for unexpected combinations, Cédric Hanriot approaches crossover music with a personal and forward-thinking vision. His musical language draws from the legacy of great classical composers (Fauré, Ravel, Debussy, Messiaen, Chopin, Bach) while embracing contemporary aesthetics such as electronic music, hip-hop (Common, Kendrick Lamar, J Dilla), neo-soul, and pop-rock, all deeply rooted in a strong and living jazz tradition (Bud Powell, Erroll Garner, Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau).
Landmark Projects
In 2009, Hanriot released his debut album French Stories in trio format, featuring Terri Lyne Carrington (drums) and John Patitucci (bass). The album offered a bold and refined reinterpretation of classic French songs.
In 2013, he co-founded the project City of Poets / Hyperion with trumpeter Jason Palmer—a quintet exploring exclusively the seven modes of composer Olivier Messiaen. The ensemble also included Donny McCaslin, Clarence Penn, and Michael Janisch, resulting in a conceptually ambitious and critically acclaimed body of work.
In 2016, Hanriot recorded DAY, a duo album with drummer Franck Agulhon, blending jazz, groove, and electronic music in a bold exploration of rhythm and sound.
In 2018, he created Polaroid Songs with bassist Bertrand Beruard, a jazz and world-music project initially conceived for sextet (jazz trio and string trio) and later arranged for symphony orchestra. Inspired by Béla Bartók’s imaginary folklores, the project proposes a reimagined vision of the world through the transformation and assimilation of folkloric musical material.
In 2022, Hanriot released Time is Color, the first volume of an ambitious triptych. Recorded in trio format and featuring rapper Days, the album delivers a powerful fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and urban music, centered on the subjective perception of time. The album received outstanding critical acclaim from Le Monde, The Jazz Show with Jamie Cullum, Jazz Magazine (CHOC), and BBC Music Magazine (5 stars). One of its tracks was also selected for Barack Obama’s Spotify playlist.
In 2025, Hanriot unveils the second volume of the triptych, Time is Color – A Luminous World, an energetic and cinematic work shaped by jazz, hip-hop, funk, and soul, with spirituality as its guiding thread. The album features Soweto Kinch, Erik Truffaz, JSWISS, Charles X, Braxton Cook, and poet Arthur H.
That same year, he releases Reveries of Fauré, a duo album with vocalist Jimmie Herrod. Together, they explore the repertoire of Gabriel Fauré through a contemporary lens, blending classical interpretation, jazz improvisation, and modern popular influences, while maintaining deep respect for the composer’s legacy. Their ambition is both to honor the past and to build a bridge toward the present.
Collaborations and Sideman Work
Alongside his own projects, Cédric Hanriot is a highly sought-after sideman. He notably collaborates with Portuguese singer Maria Mendes, whose album Saudade—recorded with John Beasley and the Metropole Orkest—received a Grammy Award nomination in 2024. He has also toured with the group of legendary drummer Peter Erskine, featuring Mike Mainieri as a special guest.
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BIO (short):
Cédric Hanriot is one of the most bold and distinctive voices on today’s contemporary jazz scene. Pianist, composer, producer, and sound designer, he has collaborated with legendary artists such as Herbie Hancock, Terri Lyne Carrington, Dianne Reeves, Erik Truffaz, Ibrahim Maalouf, and Donny McCaslin. He notably served as pianist and sound designer on Dianne Reeves’ Grammy Award–winning album Beautiful Life.
Blending jazz, hip-hop, electronic music, soul, and classical influences, Hanriot has developed a powerful, cinematic, and deeply personal musical language—drawing as much from Messiaen, Ravel, and Fauré as from J Dilla, Kendrick Lamar, and neo-soul.
His triptych Time is Color marks a major artistic milestone. The first volume (2022) received widespread critical acclaim (Le Monde, BBC, Jazz Magazine – CHOC), with one track featured on Barack Obama’s Spotify playlist. In 2025, he continues the journey with A Luminous World, a luminous and spiritually driven album featuring Soweto Kinch, Erik Truffaz, Braxton Cook, Arthur H, JSWISS, and Charles X.
An unclassifiable artist and fearless sonic explorer, Cédric Hanriot is redefining the sound of modern jazz—hybrid, forward-thinking, and deeply connected to the spirit of our time.
Performance credits
Europe
France: Jazz à Vienne, Jazz in Marciac, l’Arsenal/Metz, La Défense Jazz Festival, Jazz à Juan, Théâtre de Caen, La Filature/Mulhouse, NJP/Nancy, Opéra de Lyon
UK: Love Supreme Festival, Ronnie’s Scott/London, Scarborough Jazz Festival
Europe: Philharmonie de Luxembourg, Bimhuis/Amsterdam, Ystad Jazz Festival/Sweden, Odessa Jazz Festival/Ukraine, Schloss Elmau/Germany, Colors of Ostrava/Czech Republic, Zagreb Jazz Festival/Croatia
France: Jazz à Vienne, Jazz in Marciac, l’Arsenal/Metz, La Défense Jazz Festival, Jazz à Juan, Théâtre de Caen, La Filature/Mulhouse, NJP/Nancy, Opéra de Lyon
UK: Love Supreme Festival, Ronnie’s Scott/London, Scarborough Jazz Festival
Europe: Philharmonie de Luxembourg, Bimhuis/Amsterdam, Ystad Jazz Festival/Sweden, Odessa Jazz Festival/Ukraine, Schloss Elmau/Germany, Colors of Ostrava/Czech Republic, Zagreb Jazz Festival/Croatia
Americas
USA/Canada: All Classical Radio/Portland, the Kennedy Center/DC, the Iridium/NYC, Tanglewood Jazz Festival/MA, Vancouver and Victoria Jazz Festivals/Canada
Latin America: Europa Jazz/Mexico, Teatro Solis/Uruguay
Asia
Japan: Motion Blue, Pit Inn, Star Eyes
China: Blue Note Shanghai, Blue Note Beijing, JZ Festival
South Korea: Jarasum Jazz Festival
Awards
57th Grammy Awards / best jazz vocal album with Dianne Reeves, album “Beautiful Life” – Grammy winning album
66th Grammy Awards / best arrangement, instruments&vocals with Maria Mendes & John Beasley, song “Com Que Voz” – Grammy Nomination
French American Jazz Exchange / for the project “City of Poets” with Jason Palmer, Donny McCaslin, Clarence Penn and Michael Janisch
Fulbright Grant / music category, for my music studies at the Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA.
Collaborations
Dianne Reeves, Herbie Hancock, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ibrahim Maalouf, John Patitucci, Donny McCaslin, Erik Truffaz, Metropol Orkestra, Maria Mendes, John Beasley, Peter Erskine, Mike Mainieri, Soweto Kinch, Matthew Garrison, Florin Nicolescu, Luis Salinas, Melissa Aldana, Tineke Postma, Nelson Veras, Wayne Escoffery, Tim Miller, Michael Janisch, Braxton Cook, Jason Palmer, Gregoire Maret, Clarence Penn, Alex Han, Otis Brown III, André Ceccarelli, Paco Sery, Arthur H.
Record Labels
Masterclasses
Centre des Musiques Didier Lockwood (France), Royal Academy of Arts (London/England), Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Singapore), Indiana University (USA), Royal Conservatory of Scotland (Scotland)
Partnerships
