Recorded in 1985 at the International Guitar Festival in Liège, maestro Astor Piazzolla (the mentor of modern tango) is joined by Argentinean guitarist Cacho Tirao, Cuban bandleader and guitarist Leo Brouwer (here conducting the Liège Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), Belgian flautist Marc Grauwels, and Guy Lukowski, the guitarist and the Festival’s Artistic Director/Producer who initiated this musical work. Their programme begins with an extraordinarily sensitive performance of the Adios Nonino requiem by the virtuoso bandoneon player, containing notably the first performance of his “Histoire du Tango”. The recording closes with Cacho Tirao’s wonderful piece “Concerto de Buenos Aires”. Frémeaux & Associés is proud to be associated with Guy Lukowski in making this masterly recording available to the public again. It is without a doubt one of the finest moments that the tango has given us. Augustin Bondoux/Patrick Frémeaux

The young guard leaps in! Contemporary jazz has found a genuine new dream team here with a quartet featuring Richard Manetti on guitar and Baptiste Herbin on saxophone, together with bassist Jérémy Bruyère and drummer Nicolas Charlier. The priceless pair of soloists – specialists of the guitar and saxophone – are internationally renowned musicians whose talents are acknowledged by all. And the rhythm section is not left behind: they provide a made-to-measure setting whose sparkling efficiency is rare indeed. This is a resolutely modern album with influences ranging from bop to jazzfunk, and the quartet creates a skilful balance between ballads and a feverish groove. Augustin BONDOUX / Patrick FRÉMEAUX

To invent new stories and share them… The birth of this trio took place at the crossroads between the lives and experiences of the three artists. Apart from the friendship they shared, and the admiration they already had for each other, the very existence of this trio seemed to be an unavoidable encounter, a confrontation that they’d all been hoping for. Taking a strong, common vision of jazz and improvisation as their starting point, they off er music that is resolutely modern and uncompromising. It makes them an exceptional trio, and here they invite listeners to follow them through these «New Stories», all of them subtle chapters in a book that shows their commitment. Patrick FRÉMEAUX

Les Presses Universitaires de France et Frémeaux & Associés proposent cette biographie de Louis XIV, analysée et expliquée par Stéphane Guerre, professeur agrégé d’histoire et docteur en histoire moderne, spécialisé sur le règne de Louis XIV. Faire découvrir Louis XIV à un public qui pense déjà connaître le Roi Soleil des manuels scolaires, voilà tout l’enjeu et la richesse de cette biographie. Loin de l’image du monarque décidant de tout, tout seul, l’historien dépeint un homme entouré tout au long de sa vie par d’importants hommes d’État, à l’image de Mazarin éduquant l’enfant-roi, et rappelle que l’exercice du pouvoir, fut-il absolu, est aussi une oeuvre collective. En dressant le portrait du monarque, c’est aussi celui de la société française du XVIIe siècle qu’esquisse Stéphane Guerre. Claude COLOMBINI FRÉMEAUX

After he was coldly murdered in 1972 at the age of 31, the immense artist Franklin Boukaka was very unjustly forgotten. He pioneered popular music in the Congo as the high priest of the rumba, and during the sixties the talents of this great singer/political activist made him a shooting star that lit up the skies in Brazzaville. Frémeaux & Associés is proud to present this first official reissue of his work in a retrospective produced by Claude Blanchard Ngokudi of 2 Rives Productions (Tabu Ley Rochereau, Les Bantous de la Capitale, Zao…). From the album that was his testament – produced by Manu Dibango – to his beginnings with the group Cercul-Jazz, this retrospective brings Franklin Boukaka back to the forefront: one of the greatest musicians to come from the Congo, and the great voice of Pan-Africanism and decolonization. Augustin BONDOUX / Patrick FRÉMEAUX

At a time of ecological change, of questioning the ideals of continuous progress and abundance, of mistrust of scientific knowledge, Immanuel Kant's famous tripartite question (What can I know? What must I do? What am I allowed to hope for?) seems to be regaining its dizzying relevance. A question that the philosopher and sociologist of science Bruno Latour - with Nicolas Truong - takes up in a way. Through the examination of his personal and collective work, he reinterprets the place of the human being in the world, the conditions of possibility of its existence and the production of scientific knowledge. These final interviews sound like the philosophical testament of one of the most fertile thinkers of our time. 4 CD audiobook. In French. Christophe LOINTIER & Patrick FRÉMEAUX

Finally, the first compositions from an exquisite tandem: the guitarist Rodolphe Raffalli with singer Renée Garlène. This is a very tasty album, and the songs have jazz and bossa nova flavours that combine to produce an invigorating osmosis. The “Garifali” and consorts reveal an innate sense of melody in their writing, and it’s a privilege to be drawn into a universe where the imaginary seems to put down roots in the tranquil countryside of Normandy. The songs depict a life of pastoral calm, and the music is filled with precision and lightness.

The French-English writer Tatiana de Rosnay talks about Emile Zola, one of the authors who inspired her the most. The actress Marie-Christine Barrault, reads the open letter "J'accuse" of the author. Audio book. In French.

The Persian Tales are a collection of traditional works that have been passed down from generation to generation since the 9th and 10th centuries. They are the bearers of the Persian poetic tradition, and like all the tales of the world, convey the wisdom of the ancients. 3 CD Audiobook. In French

De Clovis et Clotilde nous connaissons surtout les images d’Épinal de l’épisode du vase de Soissons ou du baptême du roi franc à Reims. Au-delà de ces représentations collectives, Marie-Céline Isaïa spécialiste en histoire du haut Moyen ge et maître de conférences à la Faculté des Lettres et Civilisations à l’Université de Lyon 3, nous invite à redécouvrir ces personnages historiques. L’historienne se livre à une étude minutieuse des sources contemporaines et ultérieures à la période et dresse ainsi le portrait d’un roi franc, Clovis et de la reine Clotilde, au-delà d’une société complexe dont les liens avec le monde antique persistent, mais qui s’avance vers la société médiévale. Comprendre cette situation d’entre-deux devient alors la condition nécessaire pour appréhender les Mérovingiens, cette dynastie de Francs qui se firent les champions du catholicisme nicéen et nouèrent entre la monarchie et l’Église ce lien indéfectible qui perdura plus de mille ans. Claude COLOMBINI FRÉMEAUX

Chacun pour soi (it means 'everyone for himself) is an invitation to discover the sensitive, felt-like universe of Stéphanie Acquette. As a singer and multi-instrumentalist, she unfolds a colourful, vintage-cinema imagination with pop influences that sometimes draw from jazz and Latin music. And each title springs up like a snapshot. Humour, gravitas, and feelings of love and nostalgia provide the palette, and Stephanie shows rich emotions with a rare precision. The songwriting here is exquisite, with velvet arrangements elegantly carrying a delicate voice that makes this album a succulent nest for an artist of resplendent talents. Augustin BONDOUX/Patrick FREMEAUX

These recordings, taped in situ between 1989 and 1998 by François Jouffa and Susie Jung-hee Jouffa, on the island of Koh Samui, the pearl of the Gulf of Siam, allow us to listen to the authentic music of this heavenly place before the tourist rush initiated in the early 2000s. It reveals an incredible array of instruments, folk bands and traditional musics (like the one that accompanies the battles of Muay Thai), all of which forged the musical soul of this island for centuries but it has now been replaced by nightclubs and disco attractions. Patrick FRÉMEAUX

Rodrigo de Borja est devenu le pape Alexandre VI en 1492. Père de César et de Lucrèce, il a inspiré Machiavel lors de l’écriture du Prince. La famille Borgia, telle une hydre à trois têtes, a intrigué contre les puissantes familles de la Renaissance : les Sforza, les Visconti, les Orsini… Dans cette biographie, Jean-Yves Boriaud déroule le fil de cette histoire familiale, qui s’entremêle avec la création d’un état pontifical, parmi les princes renaissants de l’Italie troublée du nord. La Légende noire, qui prendra naissance à la mort d’Alexandre VI, permettra la critique ultérieure de la papauté et encouragera sa révision en profondeur. Cette légende sera reprise par les Protestants au XVIIe siècle puis au XIXe par les Romantiques, dont Victor Hugo et son célèbre ouvrage Lucrèce Borgia. Jean-Yves Boriaud dégage la vérité historique de ces intrigues, complots et mystifications qui ont traversé les siècles et nous raconte la véritable histoire de cette famille puissante. Claude COLOMBINI FRÉMEAUX

Today, Petit Scarabée is reading a beautiful story: the legend of the little hummingbird. “One day, a terrible fire ravaged the entire forest. All animals seek to flee. All except one, a very small bird, a hummingbird, which decides to roll up its feathers and quickly fetches water from the lake. He comes back above the fire and throws a few drops of water on it. Then it starts again, again and again. Seeing his merry-go-round, all the animals stop, astonished: “But why are you doing this? It's no use! – I am doing my part, replies the hummingbird. All animals then understand that they too can do their part. And that if everyone gets involved at the same time, it can change everything... One by one they decide to participate and help the little hummingbird and soon the fire is under control.” Inspired, Little Beetle declares: “I too will do my part!” And you, does this story speak to you? If you want to take action, but you don't know where to start, Petit Scarabée will give you ideas.

This album, a tasty tribute to the two revered jazz giants named Lionel Hampton and Illinois Jacquet, brings together a pair of their spiritual sons, the great vibraphone player Dany Doriz (also the legendary owner of the Caveau de la Huchette club in Paris), and Michel Pastre, the international swing sax hero. But this musical ceremony is also a family business: the latter two, who’ve known each other for years, are accompanied by their own sons, namely the drummer Didier Dorise, and César Pastre, who plays electric organ. This album breathes maestria and fire from end to end, with musicians who mix respect for their elders – their fathers through real and spiritual bloodlines – with a genuine feeling that communicates their entente.