Born in Algiers in 1954, Michel Benita has become one of the finest jazz double bassists of his generation, and has taken part in a wide range of adventures since joining the first Orchestre National de Jazz in 1986. After forming his own quartet (1987 to 1993), he made his mark with the Palatino ensembles (1995 to 2000) and then ELB, with Peter Erskine and Nguyen Lê, for the albums ELB (1999) and Dream Flight (2008). An electro-jazz collaboration with Erik Truffaz within Ladyland, in 2001, preceded the launch of the Ethics ensemble in 2009, a quintet open to world music. This collaboration continues in 2016, on the album River Silver, after the recording of Trio Libero (2012), with Andy Sheppard and Sebastian Rochford.
