Biography
Franck Monbaylet
Pianist · Composer · Arranger · Orchestrator · Musical director · Producer · Creator
Pianist, composer, arranger and orchestrator, I have built my career at the crossroads of many musical worlds, from jazz to world music, from French chanson to film, from rap to Spanish music. My tours have taken me to some forty countries, on all five continents, as far as the cathedral of Havana with La Nuit Obscure.
Distinctions
Awards
CompositionFirst Prize · Le Message des Hespérides · Swiss International Online Music Competition · 2026
In pictures
A portrait in music
A glimpse of my work as a composer, arranger and orchestrator.
Journey
Guided by encounters
After classical training at the conservatory, on the violin I began studying at the age of five, I fell in love with “live music”, playing keyboards and synthesizers, before devoting myself entirely to acoustic music, to the piano, to composition and to orchestration.
My path has been shaped by collaborations born of encounters. I have never had what people call a career plan; my one and only wish has always been to take part in beautiful projects, or to create them. I have been lucky enough to meet wonderful artists who allowed me to express every side of my art, as a pianist, arranger, orchestrator, composer and producer.
With the soul of a leader who loves to guide his team, I have often directed projects, or supported other people’s, always aiming for excellence. To me, that means everyone involved can give the very best of themselves. You feel it on stage, on tour, with the audience, and it leads to wonderful human adventures.
Jazz, salsa, flamenco, South American, Brazilian, Argentinian and African music; I play them all, then blend them in my compositions, arrangements and orchestrations.
“I have always been lucky enough to work with wonderful artists, some of them famous.”
Franck Monbaylet
Collaborations
On stage, in the studio, on screen
I have worked with, among others, Sylvain Chomet, Véronique Sanson, Serge Lama, Yves Duteil, Philippe Chatel, Diego Modena, Abd Al Malik, Tcheky Karyo, Sophie Delmas, Vicente Pradal and Pierre Cardin.
- Sylvain Chomet · composition, orchestration and arrangements for the film Attila Marcel (Pathé) Best Music award, Beijing International Film Festival
- Festiv’Cazals · artistic director for five years, and on stage
- Days of Peace, city of Lourdes · artistic and musical direction of a concert bringing together Ocarina, Abd Al Malik and actor François-Éric Gendron, with eight musicians
- Véronique Sanson · orchestration of the single “Et je l’appelle encore” — nominated at the Victoires de la Musique; orchestrations for her 2017 to 2020 tours
- Yves Duteil · arrangements, orchestration and production of the album “Respect”, composer of “Passeur de Lumière”, then the tour as pianist and musical director
- Serge Lama · pianist on five songs of the album “Où sont passés nos rêves” Orchestrations of “Je serai là” and “Bordeaux”
- Philippe Chatel · pianist and arranger of the musical “Émilie Jolie” 2003-2004 revival, Théâtre Mogador and Grand Rex
- Pierre Cardin · pianist, arranger and musical director of “La Vie en rose” Conducting a Franco-Chinese orchestra with the Beijing Modern Dance Company
- Sophie Delmas · pianist, arranger and musical director of “Bonjour Paris” and “ShowLlywood”
- Vicente Pradal · pianist and orchestrator of Llanto (por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías), Pelleas y Melisanda and La Nuit Obscure — Grand Prix of the Académie Charles Cros, ffff Télérama
- La Nuit Obscure on tour in the cathedrals of France, Spain and beyond, all the way to Havana Cathedral, for a landmark concert — then Pelleas y Melisanda at the García Lorca theatre in Havana
- Diego Modena and Ocarina · arrangements and compositions for the stage
- Abd Al Malik · pianist on the “Gibraltar” tour
- Kitty Clac, jazz fusion band from Toulouse — opening act for Miles Davis at the Zénith in Montpellier, my first big jazz concert
- My own bands, from trio to sextet — quintet finalist at Jazz sous les Pommiers (Coutances)
- Franck Monbaylet Sextet — “Original modern music, punchy and tight!” (Mercredis du Jazz, Bergerac)
- A first Gershwin tribute, as a septet with singer Françoise Guerlin, in Toulouse
- Carte blanche at the Jazz sur son 31 festival, “Une heure avec”, four brand-new concerts, including “Paris Toulouse AR” with Pascal Rey, Claude Egea and Thomas Bramerie, and Ethno Monk with Luis Rigou, Helene Arntzen and Mokhtar Samba, premiered at the Salle Nougaro and then played at many festivals; then invited for the festival’s 20th anniversary, where the Quartier Sud sextet was born, with whom I recorded the album “La Paz Congo”
- Concerts with Mokhtar Samba’s band, alongside Linley Marthe, Éric Séva and Anga Díaz
- With Dominique Bertram, Christian Martinez, Thierry Farrugia, Loïc Pontieux, William Brunard, Maurice Merizen, Marc Berthoumieux, Sergio Tomassi, Marc-Michel Le Bévillon, François Laizeau, François Constantin and many others
- With singers Virginie Côte, Manu Le Prince, Virginia Constantine, Rosa Inès Villegas
Creations
My projects
- First as a quartet with William Brunard, Maurice Merizen and Prosper Sibertin-Blanc, now a trio with Michel Altier and Dawoud Bounabi
- First version with the La Folia trio (Sylvie Sentenac, Antoine Di Pietro, Jérôme Pinget), Luis Rigou, Helene Arntzen and Maurice Merizen
- A tribute to the Gershwin brothers, as a septet with American singer Nicolle Rochelle
- Duo and quartet with Colombian-born singer Rosa Inès Villegas
- With the quartet of Norwegian saxophonist Helene Arntzen, for which I wrote the arrangements — the music of Edvard Grieg arranged for jazz
- Four singers, Sophie Delmas, Virginie Côte, Marianne Day and Virginia Constantine, and nine musicians — Christian Martinez, Denis Leloup, Francis Arnaud, Laurent Vernerey, Gérard Carocci, Jean-Philippe Kusma, Béatrice Gendek, Lionel Allemand
- Tour of the album “E Ala”, for which I wrote all the music — with Loïc Pontieux, Dominique Bertram, Christian Martinez, Gérard Carocci and Laure M’Paka
- With Luis Rigou, Helene Arntzen and Mokhtar Samba, premiered at the Salle Nougaro for my carte blanche at Jazz sur son 31, then played at many festivals
- A sextet with Christian Brun and Christian “Tonton” Salut — album “La Paz Congo” (Malambo Productions)
- With Luis Rigou and Helene Arntzen
- The French chanson repertoire, with notes in place of words, with Marc Berthoumieux, François Laizeau and Marc-Michel Le Bévillon
- “Paris-Dakar”, with Éric Séva, Taffa Cissé and Mokhtar Samba
- Five shows around French chanson at the Kinneksbond theatre (Luxembourg), with the Magma Show
Selected discography
Albums
My albums and projects
Les Notes d’un Voyageur
Franck Monbaylet Trio
Out early 2027
Composition, piano
Bruyère Vagabonde
Franck Monbaylet
Benight Éditions
Composition, piano
Une heure avec Franck Monbaylet
Jazz sur son 31
Composition, piano
La Paz Congo
Quartier Sud
Malambo Productions
Composition, piano
Grieg in Blue
Helene Arntzen Quartet
Malambo Productions
Arrangements, piano
Invitation
Rose Franck
Rose Franck Music
Arrangements, piano
E Ala
Virginie Côte
Malambo Productions
Piano, Composition, co-production, recording, mixing
Collaborations
Attila Marcel
Soundtrack of the film by Sylvain Chomet
Cristal Records
Piano, Composition, orchestration, arrangements
Respect
Yves Duteil
Unicum
Piano, Arrangements, orchestration, production, composition of “Passeur de Lumière”
Dignes, dingues, donc…
Véronique Sanson
Columbia / Sony
Orchestrations
Où sont passés nos rêves
Serge Lama
Warner
Piano, orchestrations
30°C
Clémentine
Sony Records International · Japan
Piano, keyboards
Terra Canta
Manu Le Prince
Frémeaux & Associés
Piano
La Voix de Piaf
Irène Roussel
Self-produced
Piano, arrangements
La Nuit Obscure
Vicente Pradal
Virgin
Piano, orchestration · Grand Prix Charles Cros
Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías
Vicente Pradal
Virgin Classics
Piano, orchestration
Pelleas y Melisanda
Vicente Pradal
Malambo Productions
Piano, orchestration
Émilie Jolie
Philippe Chatel
Universal · CD and live DVD
Piano, arrangements
Liberté chérie
Pierre Nicolaieff and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
Sinfony Événements
Orchestration, conducting
Entre nous
Marianne Day
Marianne Lambert Productions
Piano, Composition, musical direction
23H17
Marianne Day
Marianne Day Productions
Piano, Composition, musical direction
Ce lien qui nous unit
Tcheky Karyo
Universal Music
Piano, arrangements, orchestrations
Carmin
Bia
Saravah
Piano, arrangements, orchestrations
Follow the journey
Concert dates, behind the scenes and the album release; get the news first.