Laurent Coulondre at the 2025 Jazz Factory Festival

Laurent Coulondre
Bitola Theatre
Jazz Factory Festival
Bitola, Macedonia
April 17, 2025

The 2025 edition of the Jazz Factory Festival in Bitola opened not with a bang, but with a delicate touch—courtesy of French pianist Laurent Coulondre, who took to the stage alone and filled the concert hall with a sound that felt at once expansive and deeply personal. It was a solo recital that unfolded like a letter written in music—tender, expressive, and full of nuance.

Coulondre began with "Pequelo Camarão," a piece that immediately invited the listener into an impressionistic world. The opening moments were reminiscent of Debussy or Satie —gentle, cascading notes that sparkled like diamonds across a windshield, catching light at unexpected angles. His touch on the keyboard was nuanced and painterly, and the harmonies carried a pastoral calm. As the piece evolved, subtle jazz colors began to seep through, like a shift in the weather—still soft, but with the energy of movement. The piece felt like an earthbeat, quiet but insistent. It was a premiere, and it set the tone beautifully.

Throughout the concert, Coulondre showcased his gift for blending classical sensibilities with jazz fluency. In one moment, the music would recall the blues, or hint at Cuban rhythms, and the next, it would turn a corner into more harmonically complex terrain. He introduced several pieces inspired by Michel Petrucciani, including "Brazilian Ire" and the touching "Michelle on My Mind." These were playful and expressive, full of subtle nods to Petrucciani's style, but also unmistakably Coulondre's own—bluesy in places, impressionistic in others, and always guided by a lyrical heart.

A standout moment came with the medley of "Ziggy" and "Spain," which paid homage to Chick Corea and was infused with a bright, percussive drive that had the audience fully engaged. This was Coulondre at his most virtuosic—fleet-fingered, yes, but never showy. His playing was rich with character, brimming with rhythmic intricacy and melodic inventiveness.

He continued to share personal stories between pieces, building a warm rapport with the audience. One highlight was "Laura," a song dedicated to his wife from his upcoming album. Romantic and melodic, the piece unfolded in long, flowing passages, occasionally bursting into expressive flurries of notes before settling back into a reflective calm.

The evening concluded with "Chorinino," a Brazilian-styled piece that married melodic beauty with bursts of dissonance. It was joyful, complex, and full of character—a perfect mirror of Coulondre's musical world.

Laurent Coulondre is a rare kind of pianist—one who marries technical command with a deep sense of taste. His playing never overwhelms; instead, it invites, it shares. On this opening night in Bitola, he didn't just start a festival—he opened a space for listening, for feeling, for being present. A beautiful beginning.

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