Tant de belles mélodies

When I listen to Françoise, I inevitably think of my mum. My mother and I share a boundless love for many musical artists (Georges Brassens, Djeli Moussa Diawara, the Beatles, Neil Young... to name but a few). But it's really when I hear Françoise Hardy's angelic/sumptuous voice that I think of her the most. She's her favorite singer, without a doubt. Her favourite artist even (and in Françoise's case, we can easily speak of a total artist in ... read more

In the early 70s, the Ethiopian scene was bubbling with activity. A handful of sublime musicians were in the process of giving birth to a form of jazz of their own, a crossbreeding, at the crossroads of traditional Ethiopian music (known as azmari), psychedelic jazz, acid funk, Latin music and Soul, all the musical styles that were popular in East Africa at the time. Among these gentlemen were vibraphonist Mulatu Astatke (known as the father of ethio-jazz), saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya (who ... read more

No elevator music.

Larry Young was the greatest organist Jazz has ever known, no more and no less! Yep. Even cooler than our dear Jimmy Smith, who was however a big influence for this good old Larry. After training with legends like Hank Mobley and Kenny Dorham, sir Young developed his very particular jazz personality as a band leader on the Blue Note label. He signs 7 excellent records (including the sublime "Unity"; review is potentially coming soon) in a "Post-Bop" ... read more

CFCE 87.8 FM Weekly Genre: Minimalism

It's a feeling that has flowed through the hearts of all of us at one time or another over the last few years: a feeling of weariness in the face of the uninterrupted flow of new releases, reissues, hidden gems, treasures found by a curious friend in a dusty record store on the other side of the world. Lost between the flood of data and the turmoil of our curiosity, it is sometimes a feeling of disgust that prevails, and the impression that a majority of ... read more