Biography

Guitarist, bassist, programmer and composer Nguyên Lê was born in Paris. Although he majored in philosophy and studied visual arts, he is a self-taught musician. After presenting his thesis on Exotism, he created the Afro-Caribbean group Ultramarine. Nguyên Lê’s musical universe spans different styles, ranging from the traditional standards to experimental music for electroacoustic media. He has worked with a wide range of internationally acclaimed musicians, performers and composers, from singer Dee Dee Bridgewater to composer Mauricio Kagel, including Enrico Rava or Maria Schneider, among many others. In 1987, he played with the National Jazz Orchestra of France. With the same orchestra, he brought forth Processor, featuring music written for mixed media. Ultramarine marks the beginning of his prolific recording career, not only as a performer and composer but also as a producer. Miracles was his first album as a leader, together with Art Lande, Marc Johnson and Peter Erskine. In 1996, he created Tales from Viêt-Nam, a project bringing together musicians from different backgrounds. Of the Moon and the Wind is a show combining the ensemble’s music with Vietnamese dances. He wrote the music for the films Sheitan and Saigon Eclipse. His last album, Songs of Freedom, is an exotic reading of pop music from the ‘70s.