La République Pontault Combault - December 4th 2000
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A resolutely jazz evening, Saturday November
25, 2000 with the MJC, with two different groups joined together by a common
love of the music and faultless swing.
During the first part, the Swing Suburbs Est quarter, "jazz manouche" form, paid
homage to Django Reinhardt and his friends from the Hot-Club of France by using
a number of their hits. Jean-Pierre Graziano and Daniel Michinot, on guitar,
Philippe Cabantous,
bass and Alexis Rimbaud, who played on clarinet the same part as Hubert Rostaing,
and replaced Stéphane Grapelli in 1940 within the quintet of Hot Club, played
jubilant and joyful music which enchanted a room filled with people of different
generations.
During this very pleasant voyage in time, the music alternated between sharp
tempo and ballads. You could enjoy hits as popular as "All of you, Lover man,
Minor swing" (where the clarinet borrowed music from its gypsy cousins), "The
dead leaves" (played with much emotion and intensity and well received) or "The
red pinks". After a homage to Sydney Bechet ("Small Fleur", nostalgia, nostalgia!)
which was not just a plagiarism, Alexis Rimbaud played using his own style and
the group returned to a gypsy universe with "Djangology", the inevitable "The
Clouds" and a "Swing 42" which well deserved
its name.
After this joyful music (and which the expert Christian Bonno, present in
room, appreciated), the William Chabbey trio led us to other shores, which more
modern but not less pleasant. The first two Wes Montgomery's pieces, "Moving
alone" and "Road Song" showed clearly which side the heart of the guitarist
leader leant towards.
Like Wes in 1959 with Melvin
Rhyne and Paul Parker, and in 1966 with Jimmy Smith, he chose to group a guitar
with an organ and drums. What characterized the three musicians, was the
combination of technical safety which allowed impressive virtuosity in the in
fast tempo, and of a melody which opened at a slow tempo.
The public showed itself to be very sensitive to the quality of the exchanges
between the musicians, the dialogue becoming to some extent visible when William
Chabbey rose to approach the organist Patrick Villanueva. But each one was able
to capture then audience's attention and bring it to applause via highly
inventive, quality solos. There were even almost pyrotechnical demonstrations,
with a hellishly fast tempo, to the William Chabbey composition called "Mister
Brown". The guitarist-type-setter seems to have as much love for his family as
for music, since several of the compositions who he played were dedicated to his
son ("Balade for Jonathan"), to his brother ("Blues de Manu") or to his
companion ("Laurence"). The quality in this concert was all the more impressive
as it was only the second time the group played. The group was formed at the
time of Nancy Jazz Pulsations. And one awaits impatiently the release of
the disc which they have to record.