Created in 2015, Gardénia is a music band influenced by swing jazz and French music. It is composed of 4 dynamic and experienced musicians who share a passion for swing jazz and French varieties.

• For vocal: Marie-Paule COUTENS

Marie Paule Coutens: jazz singer from Toulouse who is living in Lyon, Marie Paule inherited the rhythmic ease and swing of the great singers (Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday), and is the interpreter of the musical tale "A Day With Lady Day" by Rémi Marand, a show created at the festival "Place au Jazz" in Antony and given in particular at the festival of Couches in Burgundy. 

• On the piano: Frédéric ALLÉRAT

He showed an attraction for the piano from the age of 3 and played various keyboards until his first classical piano lessons. At the age of 14 he entered École de Musique de Carrières sur Seine. He has continued with several music trainings, notably at the Faculty of Musicology Lyon 2, the Conservatoire National de Région de Lyon, the Jazz Piano Class of Mario Stantchev, Études de Direction d’orchestre in Lausanne… He has since played in various jazz, salsa, and song bands, accompanying professional and amateur choirs, supervising each year a vocal internship at the festival JAZZ vocal of CREST (Drôme). Since 2012, Frédéric has been the musical director of the women's choir Les Qui Song t 'Elles.

• On the guitar: Emmanuel BOUTS

Emmanuel starts the guitar by practising Bach but by playing Bob Dylan.... Passionate about Brazilian music, he plays the Brazilian Choro and the bossa nova, then comes the Be bop through the AIMRA jazz school, then after 5 years in sextet in a swing band of Lionel Hampton style, his game focuses on the swing music of the 30s to 50s punctuated sometimes by gypsy or South American colors. He is also a composer on texts of French songs by Françoise Mesnier. 

• On the double bass: Paco GIRERD

Paco Girerd plays double bass in different styles ranging from Gypsy Jazz to the more traditional Jazz of the 50-60s and 60s, or classic. Far from academic backgrounds, he performs with all kinds of bands (Pacush Swing, Moon Kaplan, Collectif du Jazz Club Saint Georges) and does not hesitate to skim the oxen of the Lyon’s clubs for several years.