Neil Saidi Quartet

Neil Saidi is a young French saxophonist born in 1991. Primarily an alto saxophonist, he is also regularly heard on tenor and baritone saxophones. He studied at the CNSM in Paris and the New School for Jazz in New York. Today, he is the artistic director of ZOOT Collectif, which he founded in 2016 with other French musicians of his generation. This collective brings together talented young musicians around their passion for jazz and their desire to offer original artistic creations. His main influences include Sonny Rollins, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Jackie McLean and Gerry Mulligan. A lover of bebop, he has dug this furrow and developed his musical personality over the years through new discoveries and musical encounters.

Neil composes and arranges music for small and large ensembles. His latest projects include the "Zoot Symphonique" project, the "Pannonica" show and the Zoot Octet's latest album, "Zoot Suite Vol.2". The latter received a warm welcome from the critics (Indispensable Jazz News, Record of the Day on TSF Jazz, Record of the Week on Jazz a Fip).

The saxophonist is lucky enough to share the stage with more experienced musicians such as Alain Jean-Marie, Gilles Naturel, Philippe Soirat... He recently recorded an album with them, accompanied by his trumpeter sidekick Noé Codjia, to be released in 2022. Neil has lived in New York, where he studied under various grants (Fulbright Commission and Fondation Safran pour la musique). There, he recorded his first album, "New York Sessions", released on the "Gut String Records" label, a snapshot of his time spent there and the beautiful musical encounters that took place.