Jean-Louis Gaillard was born on July 24, 1948 in Verviers, Belgium, the melting pot of many jazz musicians.
Parents musicians: his mother graduated from the conservatory of Verviers in piano.
His father prized violin and guitar. played guitar in the Hot Club of Verviers immediately after the war with among others Teddy Houben (Steve's father) and Pitou Zurstrassen (father of Pirly), Marcel Bourguet (piano). Having emigrated to Aalst (1949) he then played the piano as an amateur.
The place of music was very important in the family.
In the early 1960s he bought a Hammond organ (Spinett L100).
This is how Jean-Louis began to play blues and rock as an autodidact: at the age of 16, noticed by a musician from a student jazz band, he joined their group whose name was the Jazz Prophets: at that time the family lived in Grimbergen near Brussels.
From 1964 to 1967, the group garnering titles from the Jazz Messengers, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane etc... performed concerts in fancy fairs and college parties in Brussels and the suburbs.
A contrabass sextet, drums, organ, guitar, sax and trumpet.
In this group, there was the guitarist Paul Elias (1947-2018), whose career we know afterwards and the drummer Jean Demannez, who was still playing in the Sans set Quater until recently (1949 - 2021)
The group decided at the end of 1966 to continue as a trio with Jean-Louis, Paul and Jean.
The new group was called The Winnings and did a few gigs in BXL, Marche-en-Famenne and Coq-sur-Mer. (Fans of Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burell and Grady Tate).
At the end of 67, Jean-Louis took part in a competition organized by Al Goyens at the Blue Note Jazz Club.
He was supposed to make the final but couldn't have the organ, the family having moved to Marche-en-Famenne, where his father took over the management of the Brasserie du Cercle opposite the church.
He was accompanied on double bass by Roger Van Haverbeke.
This final was won by Philip Catherine at the time.
The day of the final J-L. was interviewed by Elias Gistelinck from the BRT.
Then each continued on his side, Jean at the mayor of St Josse and J-L in civilian life in Bastogne, having married in the meantime in 1972.
In 1980, with friends, he did a jazz program with Georges Fontaine on free radio in Bastogne: Radio Ardennes.
The show was called 'Blue Note' (some recording tapes)
At the same time, from 1980 to 1982, he was part of a jazz-rock quintet with Georges: Solipsis.
He played Fender Rhodes there. Standards and compositions.
In the 80s, a few recordings, notably with the children's singer Thibault.
Then nothing until 2009, during which time he composed on his keyboard and played alone at home.
Freshly retired, he decided to take jazz lessons at the Amay Academy as well as composition and especially writing courses at the AKDT in Libramont with Alain Pierre.
Also entering the conservatory of Huy on the keyboard in the big band directed by Sébastien Jadot, he created a group at the same time with musicians from the conservatory of Huy and the Academy of Amay: the GALIUS SWING PROJECT, named after a nickname he had taken for fun in the days of the Winnings.
This group, a bass, drums, synth, sax, trumpet quintet produced an EP of 4 compositions in June 2019, which was released in November-December of the same year.
Recordings at Koko Studio, Sprimont at Laurent Eyen.
The group, after having mixed standards and compositions, prides itself on playing only compositions at present.
While tempting eclecticism, he seeks a personal style.
Author-composer, Jean-Louis does not refuse to compose in collaboration with others, such as José Bedeur and Sébastien Jadot for the moment. As well as arrangements by Jean Ryckewaert.
As an author and above all a composer, he has more than 400 compositions registered in copyright.
