Overview

• Martial Solal, a globally renowned jazz pianist and composer, died of natural causes at 97 in a Versailles hospital.
• Born in Algeria in 1927, Solal rose to prominence in Paris's jazz scene during the 1950s, performing with legends like Sidney Bechet and Dizzy Gillespie.
• He composed over 100 recordings and contributed iconic film scores, including Jean-Luc Godard's 'À bout de souffle.'
• Solal's innovative style bridged jazz and classical music, earning him accolades like the Jazzpar Prize in 1999 and the Grand Prix de l'Académie du Jazz in 2021.
• His final public performance was in 2019, and his memoir, 'Mon siècle de jazz,' was published earlier this year.