René Vega

Lore & Background

Urtreger was born in Paris on 6 July 1934, the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, and began his piano studies at the age of four. He studied privately and at the Conservatory, playing in the Parisian club Sully d'Auteuil. In 1953, he won first prize in a piano contest for amateurs and decided to become a professional musician. In 1954, he accompanied Don Byas and Buck Clayton in Paris.

After serving in the military from 1955 to 1957, he played at the Club Saint-Germain and collaborated with Miles Davis and Lester Young. His work so impressed Lester Young that Urtreger accompanied Young for a short tour of Europe in 1956. In December 1957, he was part of Miles Davis's group that recorded the soundtrack to the film Ascenseur pour l'échafaud. In the late 1950s he worked with Lionel Hampton, Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, and Ben Webster.

He later broadened his focus to accompany other genres due to financial necessity. The Academie du Jazz recognized him in 1961 with the Prix Django Reinhardt. He provided soundtracks for films by Claude Berri. In 1977, he reappeared on the Paris jazz scene, performing with Lee Konitz, Aldo Romano, and Barney Wilen.

His 1980 performance at the Antibes Jazz Festival was important. He was featured at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles in November 2007. Urtreger died on 16 July 2026 at age 92.

Reader's Guide

René Urtreger was a French bebop pianist active from the 1950s onward. He collaborated with major jazz figures including Miles Davis, Lester Young, and Stan Getz. His discography includes albums as leader and sideman. He received awards including the Grand Prix SACEM (1997), Grand Prix du Disque (2000), Victoire de la Musique for the album HUM (2000), Honorary Victoire de la Musique (2005), and Officer of the Order of Arts and Literature (2006).