Benoit Viellefon(I)
- Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
Benoit Viellefon is an entertainer, singer, musician, and songwriter. Born in Douai, France and now based in the UK, Benoit's performances call to mind an explosive era of music and culture when sharp-dressed men and women would congregate for lubricating drinks and lively company in smokey speakeasy juke joints in the USA, or the artistic cafés of Paris France.
Upon washing up in the UK in 1998, Benoit Viellefon emerged immediately as the darling of London's Vintage Revival Scene. In the years since, he's been busy - presiding over 2,000 concerts across the UK alongside high-profile appearances in the Kremlin and for the Royal Family. His top-flight swing orchestra has played private soirées for A-List celebrities including Madonna and Rowan Atkinson.
From repertoire to stage craft to presentation, Benoit brings an authentic flare to early swing, gypsy jazz, and chanson Francaise. If you're looking to time travel to the roaring 20's, 30's and 40's, he will take you there.
Benoit is renowned for his musicianship, charisma, and off-the-cuff sense of humour. He developed a very loyal national following among swing dancers and music lovers, with sold out monthly residencies at Ronnie Scotts for 8 years, Nightjar 14 years, Oriole 7 years, hundreds of shows for Secret Cinema, and many other well-known venues.
The 7-piece Orchestra was first created in 2009 as a show band and dance band influenced by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Chick Webb, Lew Stone and Benny Goodman, and got successful on the live circuit right away thanks to its virtuosity and musicianship. They got to headline Twinwood Festival four times, perform at Glastonbury, and many other major festivals.
The public requests to perform in smaller clubs and intimate events, as well as Benoit's cultural heritage gave birth the Hot Club in 2011, a five-piece band based on Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grapelli's Quintet du Hot Club de France. The repertoire of the Hot club includes Gypsy jazz classics, but also a lot of Louis Armstrong, Sydney Bechet, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holliday numbers. That band became even more popular than the Orchestra due to its size, and led to residencies in Ronnie Scotts, The Ritz, The Royal Albert Hall, Nightjar, Oriole, the NED, and an average schedule of about 20 show per months until the pandemic.
Finally, when Brexit in 2020 and the pandemic forced most acts in the UK to reorganize themselves as the venues had to rethink their operations, Benoit developed his Trio: a Guitar-piano-double bass combo directly inspired by Nat King Cole trio, Oscar Peterson, and Fats Waller. But the trio distinguished itself with unique sound as they play Jazz and swing classics, but they also successfully integrate Latin and Cuban music as well as French chanson.
In Parallel to performing live and being a recording artist with 7 albums under his belt, Benoit appeared regularly on national TV, and Hollywood film in small roles, most often as himself leading an orchestra (Allied by Robert Zemeckis, Hurricane by David Blair...). He also often arranges and records the soundtracks for Feature films and TV (Netflix The Crown Series 5, Dance First by James Marsh...).
Benoit's decades-long onstage success, are proof positive that potent mix of genuine talent, relentless showmanship, and authenticity can fill a room with Music Lovers time and time again. He's the gift that keeps on giving and the quintessential entertainer-impresario.
Official website - http://www.benoitandhisorchestra.com Music - https://benoitviellefon.bandcamp.com/
Upon washing up in the UK in 1998, Benoit Viellefon emerged immediately as the darling of London's Vintage Revival Scene. In the years since, he's been busy - presiding over 2,000 concerts across the UK alongside high-profile appearances in the Kremlin and for the Royal Family. His top-flight swing orchestra has played private soirées for A-List celebrities including Madonna and Rowan Atkinson.
From repertoire to stage craft to presentation, Benoit brings an authentic flare to early swing, gypsy jazz, and chanson Francaise. If you're looking to time travel to the roaring 20's, 30's and 40's, he will take you there.
Benoit is renowned for his musicianship, charisma, and off-the-cuff sense of humour. He developed a very loyal national following among swing dancers and music lovers, with sold out monthly residencies at Ronnie Scotts for 8 years, Nightjar 14 years, Oriole 7 years, hundreds of shows for Secret Cinema, and many other well-known venues.
The 7-piece Orchestra was first created in 2009 as a show band and dance band influenced by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Chick Webb, Lew Stone and Benny Goodman, and got successful on the live circuit right away thanks to its virtuosity and musicianship. They got to headline Twinwood Festival four times, perform at Glastonbury, and many other major festivals.
The public requests to perform in smaller clubs and intimate events, as well as Benoit's cultural heritage gave birth the Hot Club in 2011, a five-piece band based on Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grapelli's Quintet du Hot Club de France. The repertoire of the Hot club includes Gypsy jazz classics, but also a lot of Louis Armstrong, Sydney Bechet, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holliday numbers. That band became even more popular than the Orchestra due to its size, and led to residencies in Ronnie Scotts, The Ritz, The Royal Albert Hall, Nightjar, Oriole, the NED, and an average schedule of about 20 show per months until the pandemic.
Finally, when Brexit in 2020 and the pandemic forced most acts in the UK to reorganize themselves as the venues had to rethink their operations, Benoit developed his Trio: a Guitar-piano-double bass combo directly inspired by Nat King Cole trio, Oscar Peterson, and Fats Waller. But the trio distinguished itself with unique sound as they play Jazz and swing classics, but they also successfully integrate Latin and Cuban music as well as French chanson.
In Parallel to performing live and being a recording artist with 7 albums under his belt, Benoit appeared regularly on national TV, and Hollywood film in small roles, most often as himself leading an orchestra (Allied by Robert Zemeckis, Hurricane by David Blair...). He also often arranges and records the soundtracks for Feature films and TV (Netflix The Crown Series 5, Dance First by James Marsh...).
Benoit's decades-long onstage success, are proof positive that potent mix of genuine talent, relentless showmanship, and authenticity can fill a room with Music Lovers time and time again. He's the gift that keeps on giving and the quintessential entertainer-impresario.
Official website - http://www.benoitandhisorchestra.com Music - https://benoitviellefon.bandcamp.com/
