For those not in the know, born in Paris in 1990, Raphaël Pannier is a French drummer, composer, bandleader, and educator whose work bridges jazz traditions with contemporary and global influences.

After studying classical percussion and jazz in Paris, he was awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2010. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in 2014, then moved to New York City, where he received another scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music, which he completed in 2017.

From 2014 to 2020, Raphaël lived and worked in New York, performing and touring with a wide range of artists including Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Steve Wilson, Bob James, Marcos Valle, Emil Afrasiyab, and Manuel Valera. He has appeared on over 30 albums across various genres and performed at many major venues across the world.

In 2019, Raphaël recorded his first album as a leader and composer, titled Faune and in 2020 he received a grant from the French-American Cultural Exchange Foundation (FACE) to record a second album with Miguel Zenón. The result was Letter to a Friend (2023) and in 2024, Raphaël launched a major cross-cultural project inspired by his lifelong admiration for Senegalese drum master Doudou N’Diaye Rose.

Collaborating with griot master drummer Khadim Niang, he led a ten-day residency in Saint-Louis, Senegal, uniting his jazz quartet (with Thomas Enhco, Yosvany Terry, and François Moutin) with a group of eight sabar percussionists.

Supported by the Saint-Louis Jazz Festival and the French Institute of Senegal, this groundbreaking collaboration resulted in a live album, Live in Saint Louis, Senegal, will be released November 7th, 2025.

1. Lonely Woman
2. Xalat Bou Set
3. Hommage To Doudou N’Daiye Rose
4. Djolokanete!
5. Take Five
6. Naima
7. Sine Saloum

This masterfully sculpted live recording opens on the smolderingly luxuriant Lonely Woman and sumptuously velvet tones of Xalat Bou Set and they are backed by the fantastically spirited Hommage To Doudou N’Daiye Rose, the vibrantly impassioned Djolokanete! and the fervently charged crowd pleaser Take Five, the set rounding out on the plush Naima, closing on the rhythmically melodic musical wonderment of Sine Saloum.

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