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).

Jean-Paul Estievenart writes of his new release: "Strange Bird is a representation of myself in music. Through this album, you can travel inside my head. The compositions were all written with the greatest emotional spontaneity, and pride of place given to improvisation. You will hear gentleness, anger, passion, joy, sadness, or melancholy in them. That is why I called on Romain Pilon, Antoine Pierre, Nicolas Thys, Nicola Andrioli, and Logan Richardson to map out my mental world. Because we share the desire to find the energy that urges us to forget our presence and let ourselves be borne along by music and not by notes. Have a good trip!"

Click here to view the Vinyl 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.

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.

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!

Géraud Portal writes: "My desire to create this band and this album dates back to January 2020, just before the Covid pandemic. I wanted to write some music of my own and to look for a new sound after having made a recording of Mingus' music. I’d liked the positive nonchalance of the combination of Jean Paul Estiévenart on trumpet and Antoine Pierre on drums, and they’d been on my radar for a while. The lyricism and sincerity of my long-time friend Plume on the alto saxophone reveals his first-class musicianship. The icing on the cake is that Jacky Terrasson has done me the honor of making music with us; he brings not only his unique awareness of sound and space but also his taste and immense musical culture.

"I finally decided to call this album Zinneke — a reference to the Brussels culture in which I have been immersed for several months. I deeply love the vibe of Brussels, its cultural mix, and the feeling of freedom that bathes the Belgian capital. This album, my fourth as a leader, is resolutely turned towards the future, in these times when the future is so uncertain. When we improvise, we don't know where we're going — but we're going there."

Philip Catherine is one of those musicians who, throughout a prolific career, has developed a unique and authentic sound. He only needs to play a single note to be instantly recognized. He is certainly one of the greats of Belgian and European jazz. The relationship between Philip and Flagey began almost twenty years ago. It was therefore only natural that the institution should organize a concert to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday. Given carte blanche, he decided to propose a surprising line-up: two pianists, two drummers, a trumpet player, and of course a guitar, played by himself. The selection of pieces is just as original: he revisits the numbers that appeared on his very first recording, as well as more recent works and some cover versions.

Listening to the album, one is struck by the youthful spirit that immediately makes us forget the generation to which he belongs. Here is Philip Catherine in all his authenticity, endearing, unpretentious, generous, witty and inspiring. A past master in the art of refined emotion.

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’.

Suspended is Urbex's 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 sextet's leader, who has drawn his inspiration from the electronic period of Miles Davis, with the album Bitches Brew as it's 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 it's 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.

The Blues is and always has been a source of inspiration for Samuel Blaser. Touched by the expressiveness of this style, the multi-faceted virtuoso trombonist uses all the resources of todays jazz and yesterdays to make its heritage bear fruit in a contemporary vision. Early in the Mornin', produced by Robert Sadin, aims to celebrate the universality of the Blues and takes its place as a unique album midway between jazz and modern urban music. On this album, Samuel Blaser reinterprets the tunes that lie at the origin of the Blues, derived from work songs, country music or English and Irish folk music. Hailed several times by The New York City Jazz Record, Downbeat and Jazz Magazine as one of the trombonists and composers who count today, Samuel Blaser is a musician sensitive to the character of simple melodic lines, who seeks to widen the musical scope of his instrument while preserving the personal touch of his tone quality.

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.

The new project of saxophonist and composer Christophe Panzani is a tribute to twentieth-century French art music and jazz, and the close relationship between them in the middle years of the century. When Ravel toured the United States, presenting his music and playing the piano, he caused a sensation, and at the same time was very impressed by the music he discovered there. This is one of the many examples testifying to the very close links that were forged between French composers inspired by the rhythms and colors of jazz, and jazz musicians who listened to the music of Debussy, Ravel, Milhaud, Varese and others. For Panzani, the project is a way of claiming his place in this musical heritage, since he had a classical music education combined from a very young age with a passion for jazz. It is also a way of showing in music the 'correspondences' between these two worlds. All the music was written for piano and subsequently orchestrated and arranged by Panzani for this orchestral ensemble composed of a string quartet (the Quatuor Voce), a wind quintet (Arte Combo) and a jazz quintet with accordion and guitar.

Jazzoo is a poetic, multicolored universe in which each animal is recognizable by its musical identity. This original, luminous concept by the brilliant Swedish quintet Oddjob combines amusing miniature nursery rhymes, both moving and facetious, illustrated in a naïf, dynamic style by Ben Javens according to fabulous musical-jazzoological brainwaves. This is musical awakening in the literal sense, all in music and without words, its content as well as its form adapted to the youngest with as much creativity as virtuosity. In the course of 26 animal adventures, the duck, the kangaroo, the penguin, the gorilla and many others will guide you on a journey into the universe of the first two volumes of the Jazzoo series.