Upbeats by Matthieu Marthouret Organ Quartet

Matthieu Marthouret Organ Quartet

Upbeats

Price: € 13.95
Format: CD
Label: Double Moon Records
UPC: 0608917110425
Catnr: DMCHR 71104
Release date: 01 March 2012
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Label
Double Moon Records

UPC
0608917110425

Catalogue number
DMCHR 71104

Release date
01 March 2012

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

About the album

The legendary concept album "The Wall" by the British band Pink Floyd was released in 1979 – and Matthieu Marthouret was born in the same year. The cross reference makes sense, because the Frenchman repeatedly emphasizes the fact that his music is not created in a void, but instead consistently takes current influences into consideration. Even if you want to assign the label of "modern contemporary jazz" to him in the most far-ranging sense of the word, the compositions always let the grooving, rhythmic elements of rock and pop, the clear melodic character of folk, but also the subtle nature of classical works shine through. Even though Marthouret has always had a deep affection for the legendary albums of the 50s and 60s – above all, on the Hammond organ – and likes to refer to the "Blue Note" albums, his nine original compositions on "Upbeats" sound timeless and fresh. The quartet with top-rate members already released its first album in 2009 ("Playground") at the French label Must Records and immediately reaped a lot of praise in the press. The successor with the same band members has become more straightforward and substantial; the long years of playing together has resulted in an effortless, completely unpretentious, easy-going and grooving recording with a masterful, homogeneous band.

1979 erschien das legendäre Konzeptalbum „The Wall“ der britischen Band Pink Floyd – und Matthieu Marthouret erblickte das Licht der Welt. Der Querverweis macht Sinn: der Franzose legt immer wieder Wert auf die Feststellung, dass seine Musik nicht im luftleeren Raum entsteht, sondern konsequent aktuelle Einflüsse berücksichtigt. Auch wenn man ihnen im weitesten Sinne das Etikett „modern contemporary Jazz“ verleihen möchte: die Kompositionen lassen immer auch die groovenden, rhythmischen Elemente des Rock und Pop, die klare Melodik des Folk, aber auch die Subtilität klassischer Werke durch schimmern. Selbst wenn Marthouret schon immer – vor allem auf der Hammond Orgel – eine tiefe Zuneigung zu den legendären Alben der 50er und 60er Jahre pflegt, und dabei gerne auf die „Blue Note“-Alben verweist – seine 9 Originals auf „Upbeats“ klingen zugleich zeitlos und unverbraucht. Das hochkarätig besetzte Quartett hat bereits 2009 ein erstes Album veröffentlicht („Playground“). In unveränderter Besetzung ist der Nachfolger nun noch geradliniger und substantieller geworden, die lange gemeinsame Spielpraxis mündete in eine mühelose, völlig unangestrengte, locker groovende Aufnahme einer souveränen, homogenen Band.

Artist(s)

Matthieu Marthouret

Matthieu Marthouret comes from Grenoble and received a college degree in Chambéry in 2001. Then he lived in Lyon for a while and recorded his first CDs followed by an intensive time in New York (at New School University). Marthouret has lived in Paris for a few years and put together a band composed of top-rate members.
The drummer Manuel Franchi is always a part of it. He comes from the Provence and played the piano as a child before he switched to drums. That is perhaps the reason for his extremely sensitive and communicative accompaniment, which has made him an outstanding drummer very much in demand in France and the reason why he has been awarded so many prizes.
Sandro Zerafa and Maxime Fougères alternate on the guitar in concerts and recordings. The former is not only the music director at the jazz festival in Malta, his place of birth, but has also earned numerous awards and played alongside of Manu Katché and Youn Sun Nah, among others. Fougères also has solid roots in the French scene, has played in the Timothy Hayward Quartet, among others, and toured through all of Europe.
David Prez is considered the most outstanding saxophone player in France of the last decade. He has toured internationally and played with numerous musicians from Jerry Bergonzi to Bill Stewart. Nicolas Kummert is responsible for the wind section of the quartet, too – he and David Prez are both regular members of the Quartet. The Belgian contributes his intensive, sometimes also rough-edged tenor sound and proves that he can demonstrate just as excellent skills as a singer.
An interesting guest is invited time and again to the live performances of the quartet and has also left his traces on the CD: David Fettman on alto sax. He is known to European audiences in the meantime, including thanks to his debut at Double Moon Records ("Prelude", DMCHR 71091, 2011).

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