Lagrène reimagines the guitar. His elegance and eloquent instrument prove better than a style, reaching the telluric exploration of vibrant existence

The studio, a reliable place, showcases the geography explored by Lagrène and his companions in demanding camaraderie: three musicians and a producer. But geography is also history, and history, repertoire. A highly skilled repertoire. Let's unfold the map! Seeker head, the blues. The pianist Jean-Yves Jung offers a 'New Blues', a title as evident as it is blithe - a healthy scratch - contributing, together with the drummer Raphaël Pannier, to the establishment of the motherland for these 'elegant people'. Tours and detours: Brazil seems so close in Ivan Lins' 'Anjo de Mim' (with Stéphane Édouard on percussions); elsewhere, back to front, the chiaroscuro ghost of Gilbert O' Sullivan hovers. Bass player William Brunard introduces Victor Young's classic 'My Foolish Heart', we know where to get lost. In Johnny Mandel's 'A Time for Love', so aptly, so unfailingly. Wayne Shorter's 'Elegant People' cross the avenue at all the traffic lights. Four of the ten compositions are written by Lagrène, and all of them are strong spatial markers. Trains are also a big deal in jazz, and that's why the guitarist - who incidentally breaks into a classic violin solo - sumptuously leads them via 'King's Cross', the area of London with two huge stations built in 1852 and 1868. Organ indeed! New York's 'W 48th Street' has witnessed the eccentric behaviour of people such as Orson Welles, Josephine Hull and Martha Graham. Here it resonates with circumflex accents and joyful fake endings. Performed alone, 'Hopla', a memory compass, acts as a signpost to spaces happily yet to be discovered. Then comes 'Flair'! Faithful to its etymology only to better surpass it. As if further proof were needed, discovery and clairvoyance pay tribute to John Coltrane and his giant steps. The group's performance is as high as Everest. Cut stone and burning water!

Track Listing

• Elegant People
• Flair – around Giant Steps
• Kings Cross
• New Blues
• W 48th Street
• A Time for Love
• Anjo de Mim
• Hopla

Additional Details

Label: Peewee!

Genre: Jazz

Language: English

Run Time: 40:58 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 07/10/26

UPC: 3760338540469