# Henri Texier healing songs, he helped create what would be called “European Jazz”: Videos, Photo

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2026/02/08/henri-texier-healing-songs-he-helped-create-what-would-be-called-european-jazz-videos-photo/
- Published: 2026-02-08T06:43:41+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**A manifesto of resilience and collective beauty, where Texier’s double bass serves
as a wise guide through unexplored soundscapes.”**

At 80, double bassist, composer, and conductor Henri Texier, a historic figure in
European jazz, continues to work on projects and has never seemed so creative and
happy to share his music on stage. Illuminated by the lyrical brilliance of Hermon
Mehari’s trumpet and beautifully orchestrated by pianist Emmanuel Borghi’s pearly
phraseology, his brand-new band borrows for the first time the orchestral colors
and dynamics of the classic hard bop quintet to revisit, with his inimitable lyricism
and sense of groove, a series of old, unjustly forgotten compositions.

The results are highly satisfying. Texier writes in a variety of styles, and his
interpretations are lively and sure to impress. The double bassist could easily 
have chosen a different set of nine compositions from his backlist with equally 
good results. But this selection, supported by the deep sound of his bass, creates
a recording that has drawn me to repeat listening, also inviting me to re-explore
his discography, 27 albums to his name and More than 150 in various collaborations.

In an age of fragmentation, Healing Songs presents itself as a sonic balm. Henri
Texier still amazes with the freshness of his vision. Flanked by an exceptional 
quintet—featuring his son Sébastien on wind instruments, the lyricism of Hermon 
Mehari’s trumpet, the precision of Emmanuel Borghi on piano, and the dynamism of
Gautier Garrigue on drums—the Parisian maestro constructs an architecture of sound
that is both ancient and ultra-modern.

The album is a nine-track journey where melody reigns supreme. It is not muscular
jazz, but an intimate and profound conversation. Texier’s touch is unmistakable:
rounded, authoritative but never intrusive, capable of sustaining complex rhythmic
textures with disarming simplicity.

Lyrical ballads like “Leila” and “Sarajevo Blues” demonstrate Texier’s ability to
distill pure emotions, transforming pain and searching. In a palpable hope. But 
there are also joyful moments, like “Samba Loca,” and more open and free moments
in “Decent Revolt.” It’s a necessary album, a life lesson set to music, and even
if it’s not strictly new—it came out a few months ago—the album is yet another impressive
achievement from the French double bass player.

It’s not easy to encapsulate in a few pages the life of a man who has spanned the
history of European jazz with the same agility with which his fingers traverse the
strings of a double bass. Henri Texier is not just a musician; he is an institution,
a bridge between generations, and a tireless pioneer.

**The Roots: From Paris to the Olympus of Jazz**

Born in Paris in 1945, Henri Texier discovered the double bass at the age of sixteen,
almost by chance. Fascinated by the sounds of Wilbur Ware, he decided to teach himself.
This initial freedom would become the hallmark of his music: an approach Visceral,
far from academic standards but deeply rooted in the bebop tradition.

By the 1960s, Texier was playing at legendary clubs like “Le Chat Qui Pêche.” It
was there that he honed his style, accompanying American giants such as Bud Powell,
Kenny Clarke, and Dexter Gordon. These collaborations weren’t just concerts, but
veritable baptisms of fire that cemented his reputation as one of the most solid
bassists on the continental scene.

“Jazz is a continuous conversation. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what 
matters is what you have to say at that precise moment.”

**The Explorer: Beyond the Boundaries of Genre**

The 1970s marked a crucial turning point. As jazz-rock began to dominate the charts,
Texier embarked on a solitary and highly original path. Albums like Amir (1976) 
and Varech (1977) saw him experiment with multi-tracking, playing almost every instrument
and integrating folk influences, North African rhythms, and bucolic melodies.

It was during this period that Texier helped create what would be called “European
Jazz,” a unique synthesis that didn’t simply copy the Americans, but drew on the
cultural richness of the old continent. His music became narrative, evocative, almost
cinematic.

**Commitment and Vision: Sky Dancers and Native Americans**

In recent decades, Texier’s poetics have become inextricably linked to the almost
mythological figure of the American Indian. In projects like Sky Dancers (2016),
the double bassist uses the Native American cause as an imaginary matrix for a jazz
that is at the forefront of the contemporary music scene. At once a protest and 
a celebration of spirituality.

His ensemble, the Henri Texier Azure Quartet, has become a laboratory of excellence,
where he has launched young talents and continued to collaborate with veterans, 
demonstrating a creative vitality that seems to know no end.

A special case, worthy of note for its exceptional quality, was Texier’s collaboration
with clarinetist Louis Sclavis and drummer Aldo Romano. Together, they recorded 
three formidable albums, essential for any lover of great music. After the resounding
success of Carnet de routes, released in 1995—which became one of the biggest hits
in French and even European jazz, with over 70,000 copies sold—the trio, accompanied
by photographer Guy Le Querrec, decided to hit the African roads again from September
to October 1997, this time in East Africa and South Africa to complete their tour
of the continent. Upon their return, they composed fifteen tracks inspired by their
journey.

Suite Africaine was recorded and mixed in 1999 at the Gil-Evans studio at the Maison
de la culture in Amiens under the technical direction of Philippe Tessier du Cros.
The album was released on August 15, 1999, by Label Bleu. This time, the album was
accompanied by a booklet featuring magnificent photographs taken by Guy Le Querrec
during their new journey.

The album achieved similar success to their previous work, particularly during the
series of sporadic concerts in Europe, so the trio reunited for the third time to
release their final album, African Flashback (2005).

![Henri Texier, une vie d'indien, une renaissance | France Musique](https://www.
radiofrance.fr/pikapi/images/02bb6c40-5720-4bed-be37-07b6e24c7b94/1200x680?webp=
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