French-born avant-garde percussionist and composer Jean-Pierre Drouet is a familiar figure in modern European experimental music, having worked with storied figures like Luciano Berio and Karlheinz Stockhausen, as well as creating his own bizarre multi-media extravaganzas. Born in Paris in 1935, Drouet originally studied piano until an accident forced him to switch to percussion while still a student. Upon graduating, Drouet fell into friendship with Italian composer Luciano Berio and his vocalist wife Cathy Berberian; the three explored the United States together in the 1950s, where Drouet developed an interest in jazz and improvised music that would remain with him through the rest of his career. Besides his solo improvisations and work with collaborators ranging from the British jazz-rock guitarists John McLaughlin and Fred Frith to the avant-garde French saxophonist Louis Sclavis, Drouet has also written extensively for the theater, the ballet, and the concert stage. His album releases include Solo, En Public a Banlieues Bleues, Improvisations, Les Variations d'Ulysse, and Parcours. ~ Stewart Mason