Xavier Charles

Xavier Charles, clarinet improviser and composer

Clarinetist Xavier Charles is a key figure on the scene of new European music.  Impeccable virtuoso, he invents a unique language and marries the most adventurous music  waltzing between conceptual art, the minimalist work of groups like « Dans Les Arbres ». punk rock from The Ex, electroacoustic music, Ethiopian jazz, sound theater, writing and  improvisation with the collective ONCEIM and the orchestra Système Friche with Jacques Di Donato. Xavier Charles essentially practices improvisation and multiplies collaborations with many musicians  in France and abroad (Japan, Europe, Ethiopia, Norway, United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand).  He developed techniques inspired by the material, the sounds of everyday life and by contemporary  musical languages. His experiences have taken him to the frontiers of improvised music, noisy rock,  electroacoustics, jazz, traditional music. His improvisational work brings into play the question of listening  and how to renew it. He has undertaken, for several years, a composer activity which brings into play  the question of the written or drawn interface and the way of leaving temporality.