Henri Texier: Laguna Veneta
Musicians:
Henri Texier (bass),
Michel Portal (bandoneon), Glenn Ferris (trombone), Bojan Zulfikarpasic (piano), Tony Rabeson (drums)
.Composed by Arnaud Merlin & Henri Texier
.Recorded: Paris, January 11-13, 1993
Rating: 90/100 (learn more)
This band is a melting pot of musicians from France, USA, Bosnia and Madagascar, each bringing something from their own culture, e.g., the vocal feel in Ferris's solo or the oriental tinge in Zulficarpasic's. Their "Laguna Veneta" in particular typifies an evolution in European jazz. Both highly melodic and structured by a haunting rhythmic vamp, it mixes familiar jazz sounds like those of trombone and drums with more ethnic ones such as the bandoneon. This tune was a hit in France in the early '90s, and for almost 10 years thereafter the "blues from the east" and other world music influences would help European jazz find its own shape, without necessarily looking across the Atlantic.
Reviewer: Thierry Quénum
Tags: 1990s jazz · france · laguna veneta
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