ALBA GITANA

Description

This project, “Aube gitane,” marks a major turning point, one that is anything but innocent in the journey of a guitarist labeled “manouche.” For if the word has an etymology with universal reach (manu meaning “man” in Sanskrit), it is very often reduced to the almost mystical wake of a genius musician: Django Reinhardt. Steeve Laffont’s dawn marks the escape of his art beyond this tradition, now classic. His personal compositions, at the heart of the album, offer the ingredients of an unusual recipe: manouche touch, flamenco aromas, bossa nova breaks, Indian spices, klezmer rhythms and Spanish colors. Steeve lets himself be carried by what has made the very essence of gypsy culture: travel and the unexpected. The album is the story of this emancipation, this joy of now having no accounts to render, no legacy to uphold, but so many roots to make grow. With the complicity of virtuosos such as Costel Nitescu on violin, Dominique Di Piazza on bass — whom JohnMac Laughlin presents as “one of the greatest bassists in the world” — and the indispensable companion Rudy Rabuffetti on rhythm guitar, the compositions are never feats of strength but feats of magic.