Eclectic Montreal-based flutist, saxophonist and composer Jean Derome first studied music theory at Cégep Saint-Laurent, and later the flute. In 1973, he formed his first major group, contemporary jazz trio Nébu. A major player in Montréal's musique actuelle scene, his next big project in the 1980s was the popular duo of Les Granules, with longtime collaborator René Lussier. The pair became a hot commodity, touring the music festival circuit around the world. The mid-1990s saw the formation of Derome's avant-garde jazz ensemble Jean Derome et les Dangereux Zhoms, featuring guitarist Lussier, trombonist Tom Walsh, drummer Pierre Tanguay and bassist Pierre Cartier, with three albums released between 1994 and 1998. Derome has since reprised the project sans Lussier, and released Plates-formes et traquenards in 2009.