Heteropsis Narcissus Narcissus

Benjamin Faconnier is a French-Reunionese trumpet player, singer and music composer born in Perpignan, France. He started playing the trumpet at the age of 17, and it was at the Montpellier conservatory, where he graduated in jazz, that he developed a real interest for improvisation, and for the in-depth study of his instrument. During these years, Benjamin has participated in numerous studio sessions, recording on 16 albums (the last one being his own composition project), and has also performed extensively with various projects he has been a part of, either in his own name or in formations such as The Unknown project (Original Cinematic Concept), The Skamanians (Original Ska), The Carolina Reapers Swing (Swing), L’Orchestre Syncopatique (New Orleans), and more recently the GROô (under the direction of Fred Pallem), to name a few. He has also acquired experience during tours and one-off concerts in France and abroad: Reunion Island, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Bulgaria, Tunisia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Benjamin draws his inspiration from the music of African- American masters such as Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, from more contemporary musicians such as Roy Hargrove, Ambrose Akinmusire, Xian (Christian Scott) Atunde Adjuah, but also from Maloya, the traditional music of Reunion Island and its African roots, where he is originally from. All this, leads Benjamin today to lead his first composition project: Papillon.

Zilyin Rivyèr is a traditional percussionist from Reunion Island. Currently a student at the music conservatory, he specializes in Maloya, Réunion’s traditional music. Zilyin is very involved in Reunion’s cultural life, and plays actively with several groups, both traditional and fusion.

Juan Pablo Aispuro is a Mexican double bass player, composer and producer.
Born in Mexico City, he began his musical career playing cello at the age of 7 with the Colegio Cedros Children’s Orchestra, and later with the Pan-American University Chamber Orchestra. He studied jazz composition and arranging at the American School in Paris, taking up bass and double bass as his principal instruments. He has performed outside Mexico at festivals and venues in France, Spain, Germany, Morocco, Ireland, Indonesia, Mauritius and the United States, and has studied music in Mexico, London, Paris, Morocco, Canada, and Reunion Island. Juan Pablo is an active musician on the Reunionese jazz scene, playing bass in several projects from various genres. He also has recorded an album of his solo project called Kelonia in 2016, in Paris, France. As a sound and mixing engineer, Juan Pablo has taken part in the recording of over 30 albums and produced more than 15 under his Pitayo Music label with artists such as Minino Garay, Eddie Gomez, Pierre Bertrand, Marc Berthomieux, Armando Manzanero, Christian Galvez, Sly5thAve, and Alessandro D’Anna among others.

Jonathan Bäckström is a musician, composer, improviser, and bandleader from Kronoby, Finland. Coming from an electric bass background, he picked up the double bass during his studies at Novia UAS in Jakobstad. Shortly after graduating in 2019 he moved to Helsinki where he is currently living. Since his arrival to the Helsinki scene, Jonathan is active with multiple projects as a bandleader and sidemusician. Notable projects are Jonathan Bäckström quartet, Ida Alanen trio, Somnambul, Adi Stoenescu trio and Benjamin Facconier 4tet to name a few. He performs on a regular basis in Finland and have performed in clubs and festivals in Sweden, Germany, Romania, Russia and in the United Kingdom. As a composer, Jonathan mainly composes for his own group, Jonathan Bäckström Quartet. The young quartet is quickly becoming a mainstay on the Finnish jazz and improv scene. Jonathans composing work has been supported with grants from Svenska Kulturfonden and TAIKE.