The reunion of the co-founders of 1970s cult label Strata-East with vocals by Jean Carn! In 2015, the opening of the Banlieues Bleues festival rallied Parisian jazz lovers. What a set! Before the Sun Ra Arkestra took the stage, another group vied for cult status: the Strata-East All Stars, a group assembled to tell the story of the New York label that had a massive impact in the 1970s, thanks to the fifty-some albums it published and the artistic...

Airelle Besson is an accomplished musician who has studied at the conservatory (not only trumpet, but also violin and harmony) and performed in large ensembles (Orchestre National de Jazz, Le Sacre du Tympan). She has established herself on the French jazz scene for the beauty of her trumpet sound as well as for the quality of her compositions. Her quartet wasn’t assembled in a hurry; she appreciates drummer Fabrice Moreau's colorist approach and...

We are on the island of Porquerolles in the Provencal Mediterranean, where jazz soaks its feet every summer. In 2014, festival-goers witnessed the arrival of Captain Archie Shepp – born in 1937, one of the most prominent of the free-jazz saxophonists. He disembarked with his crew: Tom McClung (piano), Hamid Drake (drums), Reggie Washington (bass) and Jean-Paul Bourelly (guitar). The blues winds blew on the embers of these glowing musicians, through...

Like Mali, Guinea is a melting pot for sub-Saharan Africa. Located at the confluence of different cultural areas (the Mandingo territories, the Peuhls of Fouta-Djalon), the local scene has generated, for ages, groups or performers of the caliber of Bembeya Jazz, the national orchestra and breeding ground for talent, or Mory Kanté, the subsonic griot with his many international hits. An accomplished composer, Moh! Kouyaté, well reflects the complexity...

Packed with sophisticated interventions and driven by an obvious groove, these concerts by Bobby Hutcherson and Flora Purim reflect a certain ideal of coolness. Present in the heart of the Californian vineyards, the American vibraphonist delivers a set of about thirty minutes which gives pride of place to improvisation. Surrounded by an inspired line-up (for the record, drummer Eddie Marshall does not hesitate to wedge a musical saw between his drums),...

Appearing in the wake of the nu jazz movement alongside Norwegians Nils Petter Molvær or Bugge Wesseltoft, Erik Truffaz quickly established himself, whether in contact with the electronic drum and bass current (The Dawn), sophisticated arrangements (The Walk Of The Giant Turtle) or through various musical journeys (the Paris, Benares and Mexico trilogy). Present here as part of the Jazz à Ramatuelle festival, the French trumpeter reviews some past...

Rhoda Scott is an absolute legend. Prized in mod circles (the first part of her discography is to be rediscovered) then a student in the prestigious class of Nadia Boulanger, the American organist has left her mark on the soul and jazz repertoires of the second part of the twentieth century. Recorded in August 2021 in Ramatuelle, the barefoot lady is surrounded by the Ladies All-Star, her feminine project featuring various talents such as drummer...