Pierre Cullaz (born July 21, 1935 in Paris, died January 01 2014) was a French guitarist and cellist of the modern jazz. He abandon a degree in English to become a professional guitarist. His musical childhood was spent at the piano, classical and electric guitar to play jazz. Pierre Cullaz is the son of Maurice Cullaz and the older brother of Alby Cullaz . After he had first learned piano and cello 1949, he moved to the guitar as the main instrument .
His career as a professional musician, began in 1956/57, with Michel Hausserm and the amateur orchestra Mimi Perrin (founder of "Double Six "). He passes to professionalism with musicians such as Michel Hausser and Art Simmons, 1958/59 he worked in the trio of pianist Art Simmons, which appeared in the Paris Club Mars.
He played in the bands of Martial Solal (1962) and Eddy Louis's (1964 /65). During the 1960s he belonged to Raymond Gimene's Guitars Unlimited Ensemble (four discs and concerts), among other things, worked with the bands of Claude Bolling , André Hodeir and Ivan Jullien, also he accompanied singers like Claude Nougaro.
Pierre Cullaz records especially with Christian Chevalier, Michel Legrand, Quincy Jones, Ivan Jullien, Claude Bolling, André Hodeir.
He plays with organist Eddy Louiss and is interested in contemporary music, playing under the direction of Diego Masson, Gilbert Amy, Pierre Boulez. This all-terrain experience allows him today to teach music to many guitarists interested in jazz. His teaching emphasizes rationally on scales, arpeggios and chords, and the application of this technique to music bebop and its derivatives . Students play two guitars and two guitars, bass and drums, learning how to properly play the melodies to accompany and improvise.
Pierre Cullaz wrote many arrangements for his students and devoted himself for many years to teaching. Cullaz Pierre is the author several books on learning guitar.
Besides being a musician, he taught at the CIM in Paris and wrote the textbook Methode de Guitare (Edition A. Leduc) . His students included, inter alia, Samy Daussat and Lokua Kanza.
He was also active as a composer of film music for Michel Legrand. Throughout his career, he also worked with Buck Clayton, Léon Francioli , Michel Gaudry , Jef Gilson, The Golden Gate Quartet , Guy Lafitte, Sir Charles Thompson and Sarah Vaughan (" Misty ").
Les Guitars Unlimited : Raymond Gimenes, Jacobacci R. Gimenes, Francis Le Maguer, Jacobacci R. Gimenes, Paul Piguillem, Pierre Cullaz, Jacobacci R.Gimenes, Francis Darizcuren, Gibson EB-6. Amplis Shade
