François LAUDET      Drums                                             Back to CD page

Born in 1958 in Paris, François LAUDET  discovered jazz music very early by his parents records. When he was a teenager Count BASIE and Duke ELLINGTON made him a big band fan. In 1973, he decided to play drums ; he choosed as models Sonny PAYNE, Sam WOODYARD and the fantastic american drummer Buddy RICH.

Still in school, François LAUDET played with some friends and they made the ORNICAR BIG BAND in 1982.

François LAUDET started as a professionnal musician in 1979 with René FRANC Orchestra in Slow Club, Paris. Very fast he has been remarqued  by the old generation. He became one of the requested drummers of the capital and played regularly in town, with great musicians as Monty ALEXANDER, Wild Bill DAVIS, Maxim SAURY, Daniel HUCK, Dany DORIZ, Jean-Loup LONGNON, Claude BOLLING and Michel LEGRAND .

With Ellingtomania, Saxomania and Super Swing Machine conducted by François BIENSAN, Claude TISSENDIER and Gérard BADINI, François LAUDET has recorded with famous stars of jazz and show-business : Dee Dee BRIDGEWATER, Guy LAFITTE, Clark TERRY, Benny CARTER, Phil WOODS, Nicolle CROISILLE, Michel LEEB, Christian MORIN…

In 1993, François LAUDET realized finally his old dream : he conducted his own big band in Petit Journal Montparnasse, Paris, giving this way a tribute to his idol, Buddy RICH.

In 1994, the « Académie du jazz », presided by Claude CARRIERE gave him the famous « Sydney BECHET award » for his great carrier.

In July 1997, François LAUDET replaced the drummer Butch MILES in the famous Count BASIE orchestra, conducted by Groover MITCHELL, and accompanished during an europeen tour the well-known Benny CARTER.

In Europe François LAUDET is considered as the specialist of big bands. Everyone appreciates him for his energic swing, his rich rhythmic ideas and abilities, his polyvalency ; that’s why you can find him in so many records and CDs.