Jazz Guitarist & Songwriter

Chester Harlan

©2026

Next Concerts

2026-01-05: Rome — Icarus, with Diego Leveric

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Past concerts

7 Lézards (Paris, France), Alliance Française (Florianópolis, Brazil), Art Kfé Jazz Club (Paris, France), Bab Ilo Jazz Club (Paris, France), Bebop Jazz Club (Rome, Italy), Berklee Performance Center (Boston, USA), Biarritz Festival (Biarritz, France), Big Mama (Rome, Italy), Café Laurent (Paris, France), Duc de Lombards (Paris, France), EHESS – École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (Paris, France), Florianópolis Jazz Festival (Florianópolis, Brazil), Gaia Art (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Gazarte Jazz Club (Athens, Greece), Half Note Jazz Club (Athens, Greece), Il Torrione Jazz Club (Bassiano, Italy), Italian Embassy of Ouagadougou (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso), Jazz On The Dniepr (Dnipro, Ukraine), Jazzclub-Kunstfabrik Schlot (Berlin, Germany), La Rochelle Festival (La Rochelle, France), Le Baiser Salé (Paris, France), Madeleine Jazz Club (São Paulo, Brazil), Marciac Jazz Festival (Marciac, France), Monte Sant’Angelo Festival (Monte Sant’Angelo, Italy), New Morning (Paris, France), Olho Na Rua (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Petit Théâtre Du Bonheur (Paris, France), Porto Alegre Jazz Festival (Porto Alegre, Brazil), Sculler's Jazz Club (Boston, USA), Sunset / Sunside (Paris, France), Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia), Taganana Blues (Frascati, Italy), Triboz Jazz Club (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Womad Festival (Adelaide, Australia), Womad Festival (Prague, Czech Republic), Womad Festival (Seattle, USA), and Womad Festival (Singapore).

Biography

Chester Harlan was born in Alassio, a coastal town in Liguria, where he spent his early years immersed in figurative arts and cinema. He grew up in a family deeply connected to cinema, which had a profound influence on him, shaping his appreciation for the power of film, painting, art, and visual expression. His strong passion for visual arts also brought him to write music for theater, such as for the play Aliocha ou le Secret du Vent, created by Sylvie Borten for the Gaité Theater in Paris.He grew up in Rome, where he began studying piano, before moving to Paris, where he continued his secondary education and pursued jazz guitar and improvisation under the guidance of master improviser Pierre Cullaz.He studied at the American School of Modern Music and, in parallel, attended the Sorbonne University, enrolling in the Faculty of Philosophy. In 1994, he was admitted to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he focused on composition and earned his Bachelor's Degree in 1997.That same year, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he continued developing a personal musical language deeply rooted in jazz and enriched by a diverse range of musical influences, from contemporary sounds to global rhythms. During his time in New York, he also worked with Brazilian singer Céu.In 1998, Chester spent several months in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the country’s vibrant culture and rich musical heritage left a profound mark on him. Back in Paris, he joined the sextet of Argentinean singer Barbara Luna, with whom he recorded the album India Morena and performed in several festivals throughout Europe and the Americas, including an opening in Seattle for Peter Gabriel, as well as performances in Singapore, New Caledonia, and at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. During his time in Paris, he also collaborated with Tricky of Massive Attack.In 2002, Chester released his debut album, Gardenias, recorded with a French quintet. The album blends a diverse array of influences, from jazz to Brazilian instrumental music and pop, crafting a dynamic soundscape that highlights interaction and improvisation.The Gardenias project began in 1995 while Chester was studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, when he first started composing for a jazz quintet. Over time, the project evolved, incorporating additional elements that pushed the music to a more orchestral level. Chester’s vision for the project was to connect music with various cultures, experimenting with unconventional approaches. His collaborations with musicians from all over the world brought this vision to life. After moving back to Paris, he recorded the album with some of the most talented musicians of their generation.In 2015, he collaborated with the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) and French anthropologist Richard Rechtman, composing a series of works for solo classical guitar for the project Les Vivantes.In Italy, Chester has worked as a composer and guitarist with actor Giuseppe Cederna, and later, in Berlin, he began an intense performance collaboration with renowned vibraphonist Oli Bott.In 2019, he produced Atlantika, an album by Brazilian artist Carolina Sá, recorded in Rio de Janeiro. The project merges Brazil's musical essence with a global fusion of sounds, blending tropical rhythms with contemporary elements, and explores themes related to the cultural richness and dynamism of the Brazilian musical landscape.Driven by a deep passion for improvisation and pedagogy, Chester Harlan continues to explore new approaches and concepts in jazz improvisation.

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