City Ground – André Ceccarelli

After learning playing drums with his drummer father, André Ceccarelli started out playing in the salons of the Hotel Royal de Nice on the “Promenade des Anglais” at the age of 15, where he played with some musicians in ballrooms during the weekends. The, he participated on rehearsals with the French band rock “Les Chats Sauvages”, who was looking for a new drummer. He was hired at age 16, in May 1962, which corresponds to the beginning of his long career. After almost two years, several tours and many recordings with this band he left in January 1964 to resume some time the position of drummer in the band the “Casino Sporting Club de Monaco”, and playing with many entertainers in studio and on tour, including Claude François. Then, he turned to jazz. He had always wanted to be able to play with the jazz greats of the time, and could do so when becoming an active studio musician. From the late 60s, he collaborated with arranger and trumpeter Ivan Jullien with whom he recorded the album including ‘Synthesis’. It also participates in the short-lived group Troc with Jannick Top and Alex Ligertwood and sign two fusion style albums recorded between 1972 and 1973, and an other in 1977. In 1979, he began a career in the U.S.A. alongside Bunny Brunel and Chick Corea, and met Dee Dee Bridgewater in 1987, with whom he continued a long lasting collaboration. He founded the ‘Trio Sud’ with Sylvain Luc and Jean-Marc Jafet in 2000. He has recorded as leader of his own trio since the 1976. He created the group “Troc” in 2011 with Jannick Top (bass), Alex Ligertwood (vocals), Eric Legnini (kb) and Claude Engel (gr).

André is YOUR teacher today and plays with Diego Imbert (b) and Pierre-Alain Goualch (p).