THIBAULT RENARD

Thibault Renard is a French trumpet player, composer, educator and oenologist born in 1976. His musical calling struck at age five, in a living room filled with shimmering guitars and humming amps, just hours after a car accident. That moment—charged with sound, emotion, and electricity—still fuels his creative drive.
With a Master’s degree in Philosophy, he later embraced music full-time. He launched several projects in blues, funk, and jazz, and toured with artists like Booster, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Alpha Blondy, Admiral T, and Ray Lema. He also contributed as a writer, notably creating the theme for Hard Twelve, which helped launch Beat Assailant in 2004.
After moving to London in 2009, he immersed himself in its vibrant music scene and founded The Popables, a crossover project that led to live shows and the album So Much More Sky. Since returning to Paris in 2013, he has taught composition and arrangement—most notably at the Paris Regional Conservatory—while continuing to explore new musical paths.
In 2016, he launched Toumaï Jazz, blending jazz with Middle Eastern influences. In 2018, he released an electronic album under the alias Tom Wheeler (God Is A Robot). Also trained in winemaking, he brings music and wine together through curated tastings that mix passion and pedagogy.
In the summer of 2024, a sudden creative impulse led to Quiet Blue: a set of recent compositions recorded in a single day, two takes per track. Like a fine wine, this record was made from air, wood—and time.

The QUIET BLUE team : Thibault Renard (trumpet), David Sauzay (tenor & soprano sax), Daniel Gassin (piano), Mauro Gargano (bass), Andrea Michelutti (drums)

David Sauzay – Tenor & Soprano Saxophones
Born in 1972, David Sauzay began playing saxophone at age 8. In 1988, an exchange program with the Doncaster School of Music in England, led by John Ellis, solidified his decision to become a jazz musician. He then studied at the Lyon Conservatory, EMN Villeurbanne with Gilbert Dojat, and AIMRA with Jacques Helmus. He had the opportunity to work with Mulgrew Miller, Tete Montoliu, John Abercrombie, Tim Ries, and the big bands of Albert Mangelsdorf and Carla Bley. In 1994, he became an active member of Collectif MU, a group of musicians who gathered nightly to play in a cellar in Macon, which later became the Crescent Jazz Club. Collectif MU won first prize at the International Jazz Competition in Vienne in 1995 and first prize at the La Défense Competition in 1996. Concurrently, he played in the ORJ Grenoble, directed by Gilles Lachenal, and in Simon Goubert’s Quintet with Michel Grallier. In 1997, he formed his own Quintet with Gaël Horellou, Laurent Courthaliac, Clovis Nicolas, and Philippe Garcia. In 1998, he was part of the “Nuits Blanches” collective at Petit Opportun in Paris, played in Laurent Courthaliac’s quintet with Olivier Témime, Pierre Drevet’s sextet, and participated in Charles Aznavour’s album recording, “Jazznavour.” In 1999, he joined the Belmondo/Dal Sasso big band and played with Manuel Rocheman alongside Kyle Eastwood. As a highly sought-after sideman, he has played with the big bands of Christian Escoudé, Gerard Badini, Yvan Julien, Michel Delage, and Jean Pierre Derouard. He has also participated in contemporary music projects with Laurent Dewilde Electro Sextet and Cosmik Connection. As a sideman, he has appeared on around forty albums and has performed with Steve Grossman, Alain Jean-Marie, Philippe Soirat, Luigi Trussardi, Kenny Wheeler, Jean-Philippe Viret, Charles Bellonzi, Peter King, Maurice Vander, Michel Graillier, Michel Zénino, Emmanuel Bex, André Ceccarelli, and many others.

Daniel Gassin – Piano
Born in Australia to an American mother and a French father, Daniel Gassin grew up and built his career in Melbourne. In 2007, he reached the finals of the prestigious International Jazz Piano Competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival. He recorded three albums as a leader, which were nominated for several awards, including “Best Jazz Album” and “Australian Composition of the Year.” After winning 3rd Prize at the renowned National Jazz Awards in 2013, he moved from Australia to France, where he integrated into the Parisian scene, regularly performing at the city’s most reputable jazz clubs. In November 2016, Daniel Gassin became the first pianist to play at Quincy Jones’ new jazz club in Dubai, as part of English drummer Ollie Howell’s quartet. In 2017, he founded his Crossover Band, bringing together exceptional musicians from different jazz currents. After an initial EP in 2019, which led to his selection for several festivals, showcases, and competitions in France (Jammin’ Juan, Jazz sur Seine) and internationally (Jazz on Dneiper Festival, Sibiu Jazz Festival), his album “Change of Heart” was released in 2021. In 2023, he returned to his hometown with the Crossover Band to perform at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. As a requested sideman, he has recorded with groups led by Josiah Woodson, Rachel Therrien, Thierry Fanfant, and Thibault Renard. He frequently tours in France and abroad (Italy, Switzerland, Serbia, Spain, Romania, England, Sweden, United Arab Emirates) and has also participated in numerous tours with the US State Department (Burkina Faso, Angola, Mauritius, Seychelles, Lebanon, Zambia). He has also had the opportunity to perform with American jazz greats such as Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Rick Margitza, Leroy Jones, Bob Sheppard, and John Riley.

Mauro Gargano – Bass
Mauro Gargano was born in Bari, Italy. After studying classical and jazz double bass with Italian masters (Maurizio Quintavalle, Furio Di Castri, Paolo Fresu, and Enrico Rava), he moved to Paris in 1998, where he joined the classical double bass class at the Conservatoire du 4ème arrondissement. Immediately after, he successfully passed the entrance exam for the CNSM de Paris in the “Jazz and Improvised Music” category. He obtained the CNSM’s 1st Prize and the DFS in Jazz with Riccardo Del Frà. He has recorded over 44 albums as a sideman and 7 as a leader and producer, including Quartetto Moderno with Nicola Stilo, The Three Moons with Gaetano Partipilo and Fabio Accardi, So… Now? by the Angelini-Gargano-Moreau trio, Mo’Avast Band with Francesco Bearzatti, Suite for Battling Siki with Bojan Z, Jeff Ballard, Jason Palmer, Manu Codjia, ANTS with Ricardo Izquierdo and Fabrice Moreau, NUAGES with Matteo Pastorino, Giovanni Ceccarelli and Patrick Goraguer, and FEED with Christophe Marguet, Alessandro Sgobbio. He has performed live and recorded with numerous international jazz and improvised music artists: Aldo Romano, Kenny Werner, Jason Palmer, Daniel Humair, René Urtreger, Nasheet Waits, Paolo Fresu, Mike Moreno, Jean-Charles Richard, Chris Cheek, Chihiro Yamanaka, Junko Onishi, Giovanni Mirabassi, Sébastien Jarrousse, Jeff Ballard, David Linx, Frank Lacy, Thierry Eliez, Michele Hendricks, Nicolas Folmer, Fabrizio Bosso, Flavio Boltro, Michel Legrand, Philippe Lebaraillec, Henri Texier, Emile Parisien, Remi Vignolo, Roger Biwandu, Billy Cobham, Jesse Davis, James Uhart, Laurent DeWilde, Gianni Gebbia, Laura Littardi, Baptiste Herbin, and others.

Andrea Michelutti – Drums
A professional drummer since the early 1980s, Andrea Michelutti has played with a wide range of artists, from Steve Grossman to Rick Margitza, Benny Golson to Art Farmer, and Bob Mintzer to Mark Murphy, Barry Harris, Jon Hendricks, Sheila Jordan, Peter Bernstein, Jesse Davis, Dick Oatts, Ben Sidran, Alain Jean-Marie, Steve Swallow, Chris Potter, Peter King, and Ralph Moore. Parallel to his performing career, he is a tenured professor at the CRR of Cergy-Pontoise and coordinator of the Jazz and Improvised Music Department. He has been a member of orchestras led by Michele Hendricks, Sarah Lazarus, and Marc Thomas. Since 1998, he has regularly participated in several projects by American saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, and more recently, he has collaborated with Scott Hamilton, Champian Fulton, and trumpeters Jim Rotondi and Joe Magnarelli. He has recorded over fifty albums, including more than a dozen with Jerry Bergonzi. For over 20 years, he has worked with the Vintage Orchestra of composer and trumpeter Fabien Mary. He has also recorded albums for the Juste Une Trace label with Gary Brunton and François Jeanneau.