From Le Havre to Hollywood, the trumpet player has risen through the ranks. His talent was spotted by Damien Chazelle to collaborate on the soundtrack of his latest film.
He fell in love with the trumpet as a child and never left it. At 42, Ludovic Louis has a string of successes on stage and in the cinema. He is one of the musicians of the film’s soundtrack babylon by Damien Chazelle. The trumpet solos that make your head spin, that’s him.
Back in his hometown of Le Havre, the former trumpeter of Lenny Kravitz who now lives in the United States, looks back on his exceptional journey.
The Trumpet of Babylon
It’s in 2020, that Ludovic Louis crosses paths with Damien Chazelle for the first time. The American director offers him to make his debut as an actor in The Eddy. Through this mini Netflix series, the artist embodies the character of Ludo, trumpeter of a jazz club.
Two years later, the filmmaker contacted him again this time to integrate the soundtrack of his feature film, Babylon. Ludovic Louis doubles the actor Jovan Adepo, who plays a jazz musician, one of the important characters of the film. After discussing the role with the actor and Damien Chazelle, Ludovic enters the studio with the orchestra and plays his solos. “I tried to transcribe what they wanted to hear with my trumpet on the screen”, he says. This is how the notes of the jazzman are found in the history of the film, because the music is a character in its own right in babylon.
From Le Havre to Hollywood
Ludovic Louis learned music in Le Havre. His former teacher Sylvain Maillard remembers a very determined student. “He knew very well what he had to work on, why he had to work, he wasted no time and he was perfect in his approach”, he says proudly.
Inspired by Afro-American jazz artists, Ludovic Louis decides to settle in the United States. By settling in Los Angeles, he went on to collaborate with Kanye West, The Black Eyed Peas and The Meters. In 2009, he met Lenny Kravitz with whom he played for ten years and traveled to theaters all over the world. This international career made him reach new heights and experience unforgettable moments. “I find myself in front of my idols Mohamed Ali, Quincy Jones and the end of my solo when everything stops, he (Mohamed Ali) extends his hand to me to thank me and I just want to cry, for me c is the most beautiful moment”he recalls.
After several years accompanying the greatest musicians, Ludovic Louis has just released his solo album, Rebirth. On the program, soul, funk and Caribbean music, a nice mix that brings together his Norman and West Indian roots. “The two places where I want to produce it the most are Le Havre and Martinique”, he confides. For Le Havre and La Martinique we will have to wait a little longer, but for trumpet fans, Ludovic Louis will soon play in France.
Ludovic Louis in concert on March 17, 2023 at the Simone Signoret theater in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (Yvelines), on March 23, 2023 at the Bal Blomet in Paris and April 6, 2023 at summerDreux theater (Eure-et-Loir) as part of the March Jazz Festival.