Classical Music

Hear the images; see the music. Here in a few words is what touches me in New Wave cinema (Godard, Truffaut, Malle, and Demy). How to bring together the music of these films into a single program? This disc was conceived as an image of what I love in these films. The musical themes were only very slightly arranged and were regarded as raw material, leaving room for respectful improvisation and thematic appropriation, while retaining the greatest uniting principle: freedom. - Stéphane Kerecki

Thomas Grimmonprez writes: "The big wheel. The wheel that reminds us of our relationship to movement and time. The freewheel of letting go, of the suspended moment. The wheel that turns round in a square world. The symbolic nature of the big wheel inspires myths and sacred themes; it refers to the idea of perfection, like the circle; it refers above all to movement, evolution, what is to come. It is also a new beginning, perpetual creation. It was this idea of a cycle and a new beginning that stimulated me to compose this album; a new repertory with longstanding companions. After the album Kal�idoscope, released in October 2016, my desire to reveal my sonic identity further now leads me to continue my journey in the quartet form. This new project takes flight thanks to the talent of musicians free of all aesthetic dogmatism, who have consented to place their talent at the service of my compositions in order to cast light on these various tableaux in sound. By combining four strong personalities who share the same artistic attitude, I hope to be able to invite the listener to travel within my universe. It was our long friendship that prompted me to write this repertory."

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Kem, in ancient Epypt, means the color Black, like the limon of the Nile, the black earth, fertile. An extremely positive word for a color, often seen as negative, or evil . It is in that symbolic earth that (the mystery of) Kem grows new rhythmical aspects whose schemes, dances and improvisations take roots in the Yin and Yang complementarity of rhythmical pulses. For this journey, Stéphane Galland is surrounded by daring and talented young musicians: Sylvain Debaisieux, Bram De Looze, and Federico Stocchi, and one of the most prominent Carnatic Flute players in the world from South India, Ravi Kulur. The album also features Ibrahim Maalouf as a very special guest. With (the mystery of) Kem, Stéphane Galland visits the rhythmical roots where all the musical traditions that he has rubbed together and integrated into his own language converge and explores a specific space that allows the integration of all these concepts without a priori or stylistic limitation. Welcome to the black and mysterious earth of Kem.

Click here to view the CD version.

 

Kem, in ancient Epypt, means the color Black, like the limon of the Nile, the black earth, fertile. An extremely positive word for a color, often seen as negative, or evil . It is in that symbolic earth that (the mystery of) Kem grows new rhythmical aspects whose schemes, dances and improvisations take roots in the Yin and Yang complementarity of rhythmical pulses. For this journey, Stéphane Galland is surrounded by daring and talented young musicians: Sylvain Debaisieux, Bram De Looze, and Federico Stocchi, and one of the most prominent Carnatic Flute players in the world from South India, Ravi Kulur. The album also features Ibrahim Maalouf as a very special guest. With (the mystery of) Kem, Stéphane Galland visits the rhythmical roots where all the musical traditions that he has rubbed together and integrated into his own language converge and explores a specific space that allows the integration of all these concepts without a priori or stylistic limitation. Welcome to the black and mysterious earth of Kem.

Reverso is a transatlantic group of outstanding improvisers, equally at home in both jazz and classical music. 'The Melodic Line', the group's second album, is set against the backdrop of Paris in the Années Folles and is inspired by the aesthetic of the composers of the Groupe des Six (Poulenc, Milhaud, Honegger, Auric, Tailleferre and Durey). Jean Cocteau said that the only common point between these composers, apart from their friendship, was their 'salvation of melodic line'. Frank Woeste, co-leader and composer of the group, has developed, in the course of his albums and tours, a unique language that makes him an unclassifiable and polymorphous artist, a sideman with prestigious musicians but also a producer. Vincent Courtois, a stunning cellist, is as comfortable in the classical repertory as in free improvisations or indeed in chanson. Ryan Keberle, the trio's other co-leader and composer, is one of today's key trombonists on the New York scene, whether with his group 'Catharsis' or with Maria Schneider and Dave Douglas. All three pursue, with new points of reference, the same ambition, to 'take music lovers out of their compartments and tune them to an unclassifiable "elsewhere", impossible to label, where a certain French elegance meets American energy' (Le Télégramme).

Classical Music

With an original line-up of trombone, electric guitar, double bass and drums, NABOU is a breath of fresh air on the Belgian jazz scene. On the trombone, bandleader and composer Nabou Claerhout is looking for a sound all her own: by means of all sorts of effects, she creates a dreamy musical framework with a strong atmospheric and melancholic resonance. The group’s debut EP Hubert – for which Claerhout was nominated for the Sabam For Culture ‘Jazz Composer 2019’ prize – was already a fine demonstration of its unique sound, which is now further refined and specified on its first full album You Know. Lush and intimate sounds alternate with strongly rhythmically based compositions, while groovy bass riffs from Trui Amerlinck, Mathias Vercammen’s elaborate drum patterns and the modern, virtuoso guitar playing of Roeland Celis play their part in this musical adventure full of highlights – all created in combination with Claerhout’s distinctive trombone playing ‘that sings, cries, pulsates, narrates and knows how to make many hearts weak through well-constructed contemporary pieces’.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Despite an obvious rapport, singer Elisabeth Kontomanou and pianist Geri Allen were not old friends when they met in France to lay down these tracks Kontomanou is based in Stockholm, while Allen is still in the states, a centerpiece of the University of Michigan's jazz faculty. The two met for the first time for a duet tribute to Billie Holiday in March 2011, at Montreal's annual Jazz en Rafale Festival. Geri Allen has long been considered the greatest jazz pianist since the 1980s, her work focused on furthering the legacy of Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk while retaining the gospel fervor of the blues. This program mixes traditional with new undertaking full-scale reimagining of iconic R&B themes like the opener, Marvin Gaye's God Is Love, and Curtis Mayfield's time-honored classic People Get Ready.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Suspended is Urbexs third album, but also the first live recording of this adventurous group formed five years ago. The repertory is written by Antoine Pierre (TaxiWars, Philip Catherine, Joshua Redman, Jacky Terrasson etc.), the sextets leader, who has drawn his inspiration from the electronic period of Miles Davis, with the album Bitches Brew as its inspiration. The recording was made in the outstanding acoustics of the famous Studio 4 at Flagey (Brussels) during the first public presentation of this new creation. The result is imbued with a powerful groove that leads, by way of an eruption of sound and energy, to a kind of trance. Since its formation in 2015, Urbex has played in the most prestigious jazz venues and released two critically acclaimed albums that were awarded CHOC in Jazz Magazine, Indispensable in Jazz New, MUST TSF Jazz and an Octave de la Musique in 2018.

Classical Music

"Trumpeter, composer and bandleader Amir ElSaffar has been expressing his Iraqi-American heritage and artistic identity through successful albums that blend the traditional Iraqi maqam and modern jazz. The Other Shore, the highly anticipated follow-up to Not Two (New Amsterdam, 2017), marks the second time on record he's in the command of the 17-piece Rivers of Sound Orchestra, an extension of the Two Rivers Ensemble. There was one single change in its workforce - John Escreet sits in the piano chair that previously belonged to Craig Taborn. Imbued with passionate lyricism, this music feels both cerebral and freewheeling. Composition and improvisation play an equally important role and there’s plenty of good, hybrid sonorities for one’s listening pleasure." - Jazz Trail

"The music, in some ways, feels like ’70s experiments in loosening up musical boundaries, in the mode of artists such as Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and John McLaughlin. Combining composition and improvisation, the band maneuvers through gentle musical waters, but is more than ready to take it up a notch or two when choppier passages emerge." - The Arts Fuse

Classical Music

Classical Music

Singer Sheila Dhar, a disciple of Ustad Fayyaz Ahmed Khan (a leading figure in Hindustani classical singing), through the ragas Bhairav and Kaushi Kanhra, traces the many facets of the Kirana gharana musical lineage with sobriety, fidelity, and depth. "Raga, the central concept in all Indian music, is a Sanskrit term which means passion, colour, and attachment, something which has the effect of colouring the hearts of people. The music is never 'prepared', but rather a live communication in which the listener contributes to the reality of each moment. The ideal of the singer is to share with the listener all phases of the creative process, much like an idea developed in extemporaneous speech. (.) In raga development the musician envisions a heightened state of being through the portraiture in the lines of the raga. The lines, colours, and feelings offered by the raga create a field of awareness in which the listener can share in the intended evocation. This live chemistry of participation is a vital factor in traditional performances." - Sheila Dhar

Dive into the heart of Raphael Imbert and his quartet's musical universe with this captivating album recorded live in the legendary Parisian jazz and electro venue la Gare - le Gore. You'll hear the quartet's virtuosity and creativity in their own heady blues Ecosystem of Citybirds, the evocative Adelphi Street and the musing La Dame a la licorne. Each track invites you on a musical journey, from the emotional reunion of I'll be seeing you to the deep nuances of Japanese Sketch and Kadidja. Raphael Imbert and his quartet show how intense live performance can be when it's driven by their own music, the inspiration of the moment and their interaction with the audience.

With an original line-up of trombone, electric guitar, double bass and drums, NABOU is a breath of fresh air on the Belgian jazz scene. On the trombone, bandleader and composer Nabou Claerhout is looking for a sound all her own: by means of all sorts of effects, she creates a dreamy musical framework with a strong atmospheric and melancholic resonance. The group’s debut EP ‘Hubert’ – for which Claerhout was nominated for the Sabam For Culture ‘Jazz Composer 2019’ prize – was already a fine demonstration of its unique sound, which is now further refined and specified on its first full album You Know. Lush and intimate sounds alternate with strongly rhythmically based compositions, while groovy bass riffs from Trui Amerlinck, Mathias Vercammen’s elaborate drum patterns and the modern, virtuoso guitar playing of Roeland Celis play their part in this musical adventure full of highlights – all created in combination with Claerhout’s distinctive trombone playing ‘that sings, cries, pulsates, narrates and knows how to make many hearts weak through well-constructed contemporary pieces’.

Stéphane Kerecki returned to composition after his two albums Nouvelle Vague and French Touch and now presents an album of his most recent works. This new project features a dream ensemble: Marc Copland, has been one of the most important pianists on the New York scene for some forty years; the Norwegian saxophonist Tore Brunborg (Manu Katché, Nils Petter Molvær) captivates the ear with his extraordinary sound and lyricism; trumpeter Ralph Alessi (Ravi Coltrane, Fred Hersh) is, according to his peers, one of the most brilliant trumpeters on the international scene; drummer Fabrice Moreau (Airelle Besson, Trio Viret), Kerecki’s partner on his last two albums, has worked closely with him for many years. Kerecki’s own sensitivity comes fully into play with such a line-up and allows abundant room for interaction with such star players. His melody-based numbers include subtle references to the lyrical jazz of the 1970s that marked his early years.

Continuing a century of mutual inspiration between two vast and interlocking musical worlds, Reverso further explores the interface between jazz and classical music. After Suite Ravel, a first album inspired by the music of Maurice Ravel, The Melodic Line in homage to the composers of ‘Les Six’, and the release of a live album recorded at Le Triton in Paris, the transatlantic chamber jazz ensemble formed by American trombonist Ryan Keberle, Franco-German pianist Frank Woeste and French cellist Vincent Courtois now investigates the output of another exciting French composer, Gabriel Fauré. Reverso blends ‘pulsating motifs, long painterly lines, open fields and pointillist statements into a fascinating whole’ (JazzTimes). After so many concerts and tours, the undeniable chemistry of the ensemble, the mutual confidence between the musicians and their magnificent musical production are fully in evidence. It’s a fair bet that the new album will be worthy of its predecessors!