Matthieu Saglio discovered the cello through classical training (winning a gold medal at the Rennes Conservatory in France in 1995), but soon distanced himself from academicism and began exploring jazz in 1996, later delving into numerous world music genres. His ability to integrate diverse musical languages ​​to construct his own unique universe quickly became his trademark.

A former agricultural engineer in Valencia
In 2002, his agronomy studies led him to settle in Valencia, Spain, a country that had always held a strong attraction for him. This choice marked the end of his budding career as an agricultural engineer and led him to become a professional musician the following year. The city of orange groves was already a musical hotbed at that time, nurturing several of Spain’s most interesting artistic projects. Matthieu had two pivotal encounters there: with flamenco (“a real eye-opener!” he recalls) and with Ricardo Esteve, the renowned flamenco guitarist.

A pioneer of flamenco cello with Jerez-Texas: The connection between Matthieu and Ricardo Esteve was immediate. The two men brought in Jesús Gimeno, a skilled and accomplished drummer with a background in jazz, to found Jerez-Texas. The trio, which blends flamenco, jazz, and classical music, began performing so frequently that Matthieu decided to dedicate himself fully to music in 2003. After two decades, with more than 500 concerts in 25 countries and five albums under their belt, Jerez-Texas has become a leading name in the new flamenco scene.

Alongside the Jerez-Texas adventure, Matthieu pursued numerous other projects. After playing for several years with the Sephardic music group Aman-Aman, he began a collaboration in 2007 with the Moroccan violinist Fathi Ben Yakoub. The duo creates its own musical grammar to build an eight-stringed bridge across the Mediterranean. Their first album, released in 2009, reveals this fusion of Western and Arabic classical music.

Cello Solo, his solo endeavor: In 2009, Matthieu realized a long-held project: a solo repertoire, with his cello as his only companion. ‘Cello Solo’ invites listeners to discover a rich and coherent musical universe, reflecting all the influences that have shaped the musician. In concerts, the use of a sampler allows him to record several cello voices live, adding breadth and richness to the compositions. He is often accompanied by Emilio Garrido, the unmistakable voice of Radio 3, with texts from his novel Aire de Fuga (Air of Escape).

Making the cello converse with other cultures: In 2011, Matthieu created the group Diouke with Senegalese singer and koro player Abdoulaye N’Diaye, Valencian accordionist Carlos Sanchis, and percussionist David Gadea. The group soon appeared on the lineups of Spain’s top world music festivals. A single aspiration drives Matthieu in all his projects: to make his cello converse with other cultures. He has gradually established himself as one of the most exciting cellists of his generation and has forged an instantly recognizable sound. “Rather than playing ten different instruments, my idea is to play the cello in ten different ways,” he explains.

Résonance, an adventure in venues with spectacular acoustics: In 2014, Matthieu participated in the recording of the first album of the Résonance project, with Belgian guitarist Quentin Dujardin and French countertenor Samuel Cattiau. A project that soon began touring numerous venues with unique acoustics (churches, castles, etc.). In 2019, they recorded their second album, ‘Illuminations,’ at Noirlac Abbey (France) with Léo Ullmann (violin), Bijan Chemirani (percussion), and Doron David Sherwin (cornetto).

NES, an album on the prestigious German label ACT: 2015 marks the birth of the trio NES, featuring the French-Algerian singer/cellist Nesrine Belmokh and percussionist David Gadea. The trio toured extensively and launched a strong European career (even performing twice at the Berlin Philharmonic) after the release of their album ‘Ahlam’ on the German label ACT. This album quickly garnered international critical acclaim and 3 million streams on Spotify.

Amura, a trio with fire, elegance, and a flamenco foundation: In 2019, just before the pandemic, the Amura trio began their adventure with Isabel Julve (vocals, dance, castanets) and José ‘El Piru’ (flamenco guitar, ronroco). United by a long-standing friendship, they present a repertoire based on flamenco, featuring original compositions, Latin American influences, and a contagious blend of power, elegance, and the joy of playing together.

‘The Path of the Winds’, with the cream of European jazz: In April 2020, Matthieu released ‘The Path of the Winds,’ again with the prestigious ACT label, featuring a series of guest artists.

‘Voices’: His album “Voices” continues on the same musical path, emphasizing the characteristic most often attributed to the sound of the cello: its similarity to the human voice. The album features singers from different parts of the world: Susana Baca (Peru), Alim Qasimov (Azerbaijan), Natacha Atlas (Belgium), Nils Landgren (Sweden), Wasis Diop (Senegal), Anna Colom (Spain) and Camille Saglio (France).

Regarding his latest album, “Al Alba,” the following has been written:

La Vanguardia (ES). ‘The tandem of the composer and cellist and his vocalist brother unfolds brilliantly across a sonic tapestry of jazz, world music, and classical influences.’

RNE Radio3, Kiko Helguera (ES) ‘A magnetic album!’

“Un disco al día,” Fernando Neira (writing for EL PAÍS and CADENA SER) (ES). ‘Ah, the fraternal chemistry: what a marvel. The confluence is fascinating, because the two of them are enough—doubling the cello sounds and adding some extra percussion—to build a universe that (…) almost always ends up being profound, deeply felt, and moving.’

El Periódico de Aragón, Javier Losilla (ES). Their musical evocation transcends geographical boundaries to settle in a territory of global places and dreams. The dawn of the Saglio brothers is the soul of music made with heart.’ ‘Together and intertwined, Matthieu and Camille are the cosmic conjunction of beauty and meaning.’

jazz-rhone-alpes.com, Michel Clavel (FR) ‘An absolute grace that we find in the almost mystical duo of cellist Matthieu Saglio with his brother Camille, a countertenor with an angelic voice. A totally captivating album.’

‘A poetry that always moves you deeply, within a framework of sweetness and beauty that is undoubtedly the hallmark of Matthieu Saglio throughout a rich discography built stone by stone.’

La Razón, Juan Beltrán (ES) ‘A spiritual journey of the cello of a thousand accents.’

Paris Move, Dominique Boulay (FR) ‘Sublime!’

All About Jazz, Thierry De Clemensat (GB) ****. ‘An album of absolute beauty, imbued with a spiritual dimension, one of the most dazzling and unique listening experiences we will have at our fingertips in 2025.’

‘Matthieu Saglio’s disciplined classical training grants him immense compositional freedom and unparalleled sonic delicacy.’

Distrito Jazz (ES) ‘In “Al alba” everything flows smoothly and elegantly; there are no breaks, but rather a delicate continuity despite the different genres from which each of the songs originates.’

Télérama (FR) – TTTT. ‘On the borders of imagined folk ballads and classical music, reaching peaks of spirituality.’ Yes, definitely, Matthieu Saglio is a mystery to me, and the mystery remains unsolved.

Ouest France (FR). ‘A captivating and highly refined album.’ ‘In this family of artists, no sibling hides their admiration for the other three.’

Radio France FIP, Catherine Carette (FR) – Jazz Album of the Week. ‘Between jazz, classical, world music, and spirituality, the duo draws inspiration from the promises of dawn with their new album, Al Alba.’

World Music Chart of Europe (INT). Top 3 Albums of the Month (June 2025)

BR Radio (DE). ‘Unlimited variety.’

HR2-Kultur Radio (DE). ‘A journey through sound worlds filled with moods and emotions.’

LA RAMBLETA ‘RAM SESSIONS’

+ Date: November 15, 2025
+ Time: 10:30 p.m.
+ Duration: Approx. 90 minutes

+ Recommended age: All ages. Children under 14 must be accompanied by a legal guardian, and those under 16 must complete the parental consent form. 

+ Price:
Club Rambleta €13 + €2 booking fee (online and at the box office)
General Admission €16 + €2 booking fee (online and at the box office)
+ Active Discounts:
Groups of 10 or more: 10% discount
Groups of 15 or more: 15% discount

TICKETS: https://larambleta.com/ram-sessions-matthieu-saglio-quartet/#entradas

Report by Will McCarthy

Article copyright ’24/7 Valencia’

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