Django

Description

If Django Reinhardt's music has often been revisited, it has frequently been within a familiar framework, with the guitar remaining omnipresent. For this brand new album, Baptiste Herbin steps into the shoes of the gypsy virtuoso, imposing a true challenge on himself: the trio format of saxophone, double bass, and drums. This unique configuration brings the instrumentalist more freedom but also more constraints; if the chords are not played as such, they must be made to resonate even more. Thus, the cards are reshuffled, keeping only the spirit of the guitarist, that breathtaking lyrical spontaneity, and an improviser's language that remains an absolute reference today. For this new album, Baptiste Herbin has, for the first time, called upon an artistic director. He found in Daniel Yvinec an enlightened and stimulating interlocutor, who, after hearing him play a Django theme during a jam session, suggested the theme of this album. Together, they shape a repertoire that creates a fascinating universe around the guitarist; some of his emblematic compositions are cleverly reimagined, along with intoxicating musette waltzes, a choro dedicated to him by Herbin, the moving tribute from pianist John Lewis, and a stunning reinterpretation of "Night and Day" in which Baptiste reprises Django's original solo harmonized for two saxophones with an elegance and naturalness that confirm the validity of the endeavor. During the recording sessions, the music will reign supreme. Sylvain Romano emanates a deep double bass sound and harmonic clarity that naturally impose the essentials. As for André Ceccarelli, he brings an incomparable signature, wild liveliness, and above all, a huge heart that he fully dedicates to the music. Under the infallible attention of the artistic director, they will together explore each version, sometimes going up to seven takes. With each new attempt, the sound, space, and textures are refined; the flashes of brilliance are highlighted by the silences that oppose them. A collective trust and impressive letting go ensure that the whole is, each time, greater than the sum of its parts. Thus, in the nakedness of the trio, nothing is lacking and everything is crystal clear. Baptiste reveals an exceptional depth, his incomparable virtuosity giving way to an expression liberated from all will, which reveals, like a raw diamond, the essence of the music. We rediscover, astonished, Django's work in a new incarnation; authentic, collective, and continuously stimulating. Under his aegis, Baptiste Herbin becomes a master himself and soars to heights of inspiration frequented by the greatest. Django! thus reveals an artist at the peak of his art and celebrates the birth of an exceptional trio.