BIO
Harmonicist, guitarist and singer, Amaury Faivre is an acoustic blues artist, with a 25 years carreer, and more than 1000 stages on 3 continents and a dozen countries.
Born in Besançon in France, he blows for the first time in his father’s harmonica at the age of 8, and he naturally started playing the music of the blues pioneers, listening to artists like Robert Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell or John Lee Hooker... Learning jazz and its complex harmony will make him a great improviser. He starts guitar and singing, and most of all the chromatic harmonica which has been a key element to his musical personality ever since. His career debuts with the Prix du Public at the Jeunesses Muciales de France in Paris at the age of 15, and he rapidly joins local blues, jazz and rock bands. After a Bachelor of Musicology at the University of Besançon, and two years of jazz guitar studies at the Université de Montreal, he comes back to Europe and settles in Geneva.
He starts the duo Electric Hat with Jean Rigo, singer of Les Infidèles, from blues to Soul Music, through Rock n'Roll and Jazz. Amaury begins a collaboration with the Geneva guitarist Yves Staubitz among the electric blues band Amaury Faivre & the Broken Harps with whom he records Ol' Days Feel in 2012. Later, Yves follows him in the acoustic Amaury Faivre Duo. It is with this duo that Amaury discovers a passion and a certain talent for composition, and they win the 2017 Swiss Blues Challenge. This award gives them the opportunity to represent Switzerland at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis where they obtain a beautiful place in the Semi-Finals, and they end up 4th at the European Blues Challenge in Norway. After a rich year with great European blues stages (Cahors, Sierre, Vallemaggia, Salaise...) they release Crazy Old Man, on the frontiers of blues, jazz and folk.
After years backed up by electric bands, acoustic duos or even a symphonic orchestra, he builds during the world pandemic the One Man Blues Show he offers today. In this perspective he releases the album 2020, back to his early folk-blues roots influence, with no hesitation to handle the banjo and mandolin or hit hard a gloomy stomp-box !
Released in 2024, My Americana is a road trip though the USA, a tribute to this typically American genre which mixes blues, bluegrass and classic rock. He is accompanied by his drummer-percussionist longtime friend Julien Compagne, who follows him today, with Jean Rigo on double bass, in the brand new Amaury Faivre Trio.
Amaury Faivre represents the emotion of blues, the freedom of jazz and the energy of punk, a rare mastery of the harmonica which allows him to offer an intense and moving show, surprising and sincere.
PRESS
'this type of album will help to keep Blues alive,
the sadness is there'
'fans of well-played acoustic music will find much
to enjoy on this disc'
'le son est superbe et Amaury fait tout lui-même'
'a lot of personality and spirit'
'a lovely album, best enjoyed with the lights dimmed'
'c'est très bien fait, et ça se laisse écouter facilement'
'2020 überzeugt von ersten bis zum letzten Song'
'is er niets op dit schijfje aan te merken'
'une superbe réussite'
'un disco recomendable por su honestidad
y enorme sinceridad interpretativa'
'un french bluesman dont on a toutes les raisons d'être fier'
'un réel charme dans cet enregistrement qui s'écoute
vraiment avec beaucoup de plaisir'
'compositeur inspiré, interprète plus que brilliant, Amaury Faivre signe là un album qui ne manque pas de saveur'
'l'art de faire rire, chanter et pleurer la musique'
'chaque note raconte une histoire'
'alles lag in den Händen dieses äusserst talen'
Album 2020
2nd place in the IBBA Presenter's Album Picks of the Month, Mar. 21
3rd place at the UK Blues Top 40, Mar. 21
Powerblues selection from the Collectif des Radios Blues 3,5/5*
Album of the Month Léman Bouge
Album of the Week Option Musique, Canal 3, Zicazic
Music in Belgium 4,5/5*
Paris Move 4,5/5*
Roots Music Report 4/5*
Album Crazy Old Man
Album of the Week Zicazic, Léman Bouge, Option Musique
Music in Belgium 4/5*
Soul Bag 3/5*
AWARDS
Swiss Blues Challenge 2017
After having been selected for the finals in 2012 and 2013 with Amaury Faivre and the Broken Harps, Amaury Faivre Duo wins the Swiss Blues Challenge on June 30th, 2017, hosted by the great Summerblues Basel Festival in a wonderful place and by a wonderful weather. Among the selected bands figured Dominic Schoemaker, Estalla Benedetti and Michael G Band, as well as Manu Hartmann & the City Blues Band who won the Challenge in 2018.
International Blues Challenge 2018
The duo flies to Memphis for the 34th International Blues Challenge which takes place in January 16th-20th under a polar-cold weather. 260 bands from all around the world with a vast majority of US bands challenge in the Beale Street Clubs , each night ending up in a hugo jam session ! Amaury and Yves made their way up to the semi-finals.
European Blues Challenge 2018
The series of Challenges ends on March 16th-17th 2018 with the 8th European Blues Challenge, in Hell (Norway). 21 bands represents European countries, and the winners are "The Ragtime Rumours" (Netherlands). Amaury Faivre Duo obtains a great 4th place.
Vully Blues Festival Award 2017
Thanks to a powerful set in a beautiful caveau, Amaury Faivre wins with the Sidewalk Blues Gang the Vully Blues Festival Award 2017. This prize, awarded by public vote, honours the most appreciated performance among the 15 bands of this festival edition.
J. M. F. 2001
Amaury Faivre wins his first Music Award at the age of 16, with White & Blues in duo with Sylvain Dubrez on the guitar. The 50 bands who were in the competition at the Cirque d'Hiver, Paris, offered them the very special Prix du Public (Audience Prize) during the 2001 Jeunesses Musicales de France.
Blues Matters - this type of album will help to keep Blues alive, the sadness is there
Blues Blast Magazine - fans of well-played acoustic music will find much to enjoy on this disc
Soul Bag - le son est superbe et Amaury fait tout lui-même
Roots Music Report - a lot of personality and spirit
Blues in Britain - a lovely album, best enjoyed with the lights dimmed
Blues Magazine - c'est très bien fait, et ça se laisse écouter facilement
Rocktimes - 2020 überzeugt von ersten bis zum letzten Song
Real Roots Café - hij heeft herhalingen weten te vermijden een een zeer afwisselend album afgeleverd (...) is er niets op dit schijfje aan te merken
Léman Bouge - une superbe réussite
Blues Again - un réel charme dans cet enregistrement qui s'écoute vraiment avec beaucoup de plaisir
Zicazic - compositeur inspiré, interprète plus que brilliant, Amaury Faivre signe là un album qui ne manque pas de de saveur
Le Progrès - l'art de faire rire, chanter et pleurer la musique