Moncef Genoud

Born in Tunis, Tunisia, in 1961, pianist Moncef Genoud was sent to Switzerland at the age of two for an eye operation, after which a local family adopted him. By the time he turned six and began piano lessons, his musical gift was already evident. Although his early training focused on classical repertoire, the jazz recordings of Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller, favorites of his adoptive father, sparked an additional passion that led Genoud to teach himself the style. He completed his studies at Geneva’s conservatory in 1987, earning a degree in music education, and issued his debut solo album, New York Journey, the following year. That release marked the start of an extensive discography; among the subsequent studio projects were Waiting for Birth in 1989, It’s You in 1997—the same year he was chosen to represent the Montreux Jazz Festival in Detroit, Atlanta, and New York—Time in Carouge in 2003, and Aqua, his tenth studio album, which appeared in 2006.