Biography
Gui Duvignau works as a jazz bassist and composer. France is his birthplace, yet Brazil shaped his upbringing, and New York City now serves as his home. His cross-cultural roots combined with extensive journeys prompted formal study in contemporary composition while also sparking performances alongside rock, Brazilian, and additional international artists; those encounters shaped both his writing and his instrumental approach. Whether navigating post-bop, hard bop, vanguard jazz, or Brazilian idioms, Duvignau displays a rich, lyrical, woody tone paired with a light touch. Beginning with the 2010 release Porto, created alongside Portuguese songwriter Sofia Ribeiro, his recording projects have reflected an assonant harmonic sensibility. Fissura, issued in 2016, represented his first effort leading a band; captured in Paris, the album presented a vanguard sextet of two saxophonists, two guitarists, and a drummer. He later returned to São Paulo to direct his own ensembles yet continued appearing regularly with Trio Improvisado and the Carlos Ezequiel Trio, the latter yielding the 2017 recording Circular. After relocating to New York City in 2018, Duvignau completed a master’s degree at NYU in 2020, assembled a quintet, and issued his Sunnyside debut, 3,5,8, in 2021.
His parents, who identified themselves as seekers and explorers, welcomed him into the world in France. Shortly afterward the family departed for Morocco, remained briefly, then moved on to Brazil and established residence in Belo Horizonte within Minas Gerais state. During his teenage years they relocated once more to São Paulo, where Duvignau and his brother immersed themselves in the city’s rock and metal communities. He first took up the electric bass while his brother played guitar. Although rock ignited his curiosity, it soon proved insufficiently demanding for his developing technique and imagination, prompting a turn toward jazz. Early models included Weather Report’s Jaco Pastorius and Miles Davis’ electric bassist Michael Henderson, yet Charles Mingus, Ron Carter, and Charlie Haden ultimately exerted the strongest pull. Instruction from a local guitarist supplied the essentials of jazz harmony without imposing rigid constraints. From that point Duvignau became absorbed by the Brazilian songbook and its composers, among them Tom Jobim, Chico Buarque, Baden Powell, Joao Donato, and Elis Regina.
Following secondary school he enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he encountered future collaborator German guitarist Elias Meister and earned a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Composition. After graduation he spent time in Portugal and there recorded Porto in 2010 with singer and songwriter Sofia Ribeiro. Once their joint performances concluded, the restless musician headed back to France and quickly earned recognition on the Paris jazz scene for his inventive playing and writing. He assembled a sextet comprising sax and clarinet players Jonathan Orland and Julien Pontvianne, guitarists Federico Casagrande and Thomas Caillou, and drummer Thibault Perriard. In late 2015 the group tracked Fissura, which the Onze Heures Onzes label released the next year; the album garnered national radio exposure and was named one of the year’s standout releases by critics in the French magazine JazzNews.
Duvignau then went back to São Paulo, where he led his own groups while maintaining steady work with Trio Improvisado, also featuring Marcelo Castilha and Pedro Ito, and with the Carlos Ezequiel Trio on their independently released album Circular, which included guest appearances by David Binney and Lage Lund. He returned to the United States in 2018 to pursue a master’s degree at NYU, studying with Ron Carter, Drew Gress, Billy Drummond, Billy Drewes, Brad Shepik, and Michael Wolff, among others. While finishing the degree he connected with several musicians, notably Drewes, whose input helped refine his mature sound and compositional direction. At a recording session he met Argentinian pianist Santiago Leibson, who subsequently invited drummer Jeff Hirshfield to an early gathering; the three quickly established rapport and began holding regular sessions and performances.
Duvignau received his master’s degree in jazz studies in 2020. His thesis took the form of the book From the Bottom Up, containing essays and interviews with bassists that included Carter, Buster Williams, Ron McClure, Mike Richmond, Jay Anderson, Gress, and Christian McBride. Upon signing with Sunnyside he expanded his trio by adding Drewes on tenor and German guitarist, as well as Berklee classmate, Elias Meister. The resulting quintet recorded the bassist’s Sunnyside debut, 3,5,8, issued to critical acclaim in January 2021.
His parents, who identified themselves as seekers and explorers, welcomed him into the world in France. Shortly afterward the family departed for Morocco, remained briefly, then moved on to Brazil and established residence in Belo Horizonte within Minas Gerais state. During his teenage years they relocated once more to São Paulo, where Duvignau and his brother immersed themselves in the city’s rock and metal communities. He first took up the electric bass while his brother played guitar. Although rock ignited his curiosity, it soon proved insufficiently demanding for his developing technique and imagination, prompting a turn toward jazz. Early models included Weather Report’s Jaco Pastorius and Miles Davis’ electric bassist Michael Henderson, yet Charles Mingus, Ron Carter, and Charlie Haden ultimately exerted the strongest pull. Instruction from a local guitarist supplied the essentials of jazz harmony without imposing rigid constraints. From that point Duvignau became absorbed by the Brazilian songbook and its composers, among them Tom Jobim, Chico Buarque, Baden Powell, Joao Donato, and Elis Regina.
Following secondary school he enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he encountered future collaborator German guitarist Elias Meister and earned a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Composition. After graduation he spent time in Portugal and there recorded Porto in 2010 with singer and songwriter Sofia Ribeiro. Once their joint performances concluded, the restless musician headed back to France and quickly earned recognition on the Paris jazz scene for his inventive playing and writing. He assembled a sextet comprising sax and clarinet players Jonathan Orland and Julien Pontvianne, guitarists Federico Casagrande and Thomas Caillou, and drummer Thibault Perriard. In late 2015 the group tracked Fissura, which the Onze Heures Onzes label released the next year; the album garnered national radio exposure and was named one of the year’s standout releases by critics in the French magazine JazzNews.
Duvignau then went back to São Paulo, where he led his own groups while maintaining steady work with Trio Improvisado, also featuring Marcelo Castilha and Pedro Ito, and with the Carlos Ezequiel Trio on their independently released album Circular, which included guest appearances by David Binney and Lage Lund. He returned to the United States in 2018 to pursue a master’s degree at NYU, studying with Ron Carter, Drew Gress, Billy Drummond, Billy Drewes, Brad Shepik, and Michael Wolff, among others. While finishing the degree he connected with several musicians, notably Drewes, whose input helped refine his mature sound and compositional direction. At a recording session he met Argentinian pianist Santiago Leibson, who subsequently invited drummer Jeff Hirshfield to an early gathering; the three quickly established rapport and began holding regular sessions and performances.
Duvignau received his master’s degree in jazz studies in 2020. His thesis took the form of the book From the Bottom Up, containing essays and interviews with bassists that included Carter, Buster Williams, Ron McClure, Mike Richmond, Jay Anderson, Gress, and Christian McBride. Upon signing with Sunnyside he expanded his trio by adding Drewes on tenor and German guitarist, as well as Berklee classmate, Elias Meister. The resulting quintet recorded the bassist’s Sunnyside debut, 3,5,8, issued to critical acclaim in January 2021.
Albums
Singles
