Éric Legnini

Who is Éric Legnini?

Éric Legnini is a Belgian jazz pianist and leader of the Éric Legnini Trio.

Legnini was born in an artistic family coming from Italy. The family immigrated to Belgium, where he started playing the piano at age 6 and initiated in jazz in his teens. In 1988 he traveled to the United States for 2 years to study American jazz styles. Returning as a teacher of jazz piano at the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music, where he met Jacques Pelzer. The result was the Pelzer album Never Let Me Go featuring Eric Legnini with guest stars Barney Wilen and Michel Graillier.

He started to play piano in the Stefano Di Battista Quartet. In the 1990s, he worked with Flavio Boltro and Stefano Di Battista forming the jazz ensemble Éric Legnini Trio that caught attention in the 1990s. He has played with fellow artists like Aldo Romano, Belmondo Quintet, John Ruocco, Félix Simtaine, Michel Hatzi, Dré Palemaerts, Emanuel Cisi, Toninho Horta, Philippe Catherine, Serge Reggiani, Hein van de Geyn, Marcia Maria, Jacques Pelzer, André Ceciarelli, Éric Le Lann, Paco Sery and others. Legnini had great admiration for the works of Phineas Newborn, dedicating the piece The Memphis Dude to him. The track appears in his album Miss Soul. Legnini won "Octave de la musique jazz" in 2006 and "Instrumental album of the year" during 2011 Victoires du jazz for his album The Vox.