Laurent Marode, pianist creative-arranger, passionately loves jazz and especially the swing. We love today’s modern jazz…
What if the return to swing and fundamentals were finally the trend? In any case, we like to share these current jazz colors, when they are spread on the canvas, by such talented musicians!
Couleurs Jazz – What motivated you to make this project “This Way Please“? Why ? And already this title? A kind of invitation to follow you? a wink?
Laurent Marode – “This Way Please” is my declaration of love at Jazz. I always wanted to make an ambitious album with a big band. Many people think that jazz is an elitist music because demanding. I believe that the strength of Jazz is to be popular and demanding, easy to listen and full of subtleties, loaded with history in the literal sense as well as in the figurative and especially jouissive sense. “This way Please” is a militant album to say that the royal track of “Jazz that swing” is not only not dead, but resolutely turned towards the future.
CJZ – What would you like the audience to retain from this music? What affects you in general and there in particular?
LM – My music is inspired by the composers of music of films, jazz and pop … I would like the public to think like François Thèberge: “I want more !!!”
It’s a record that you can put in your car by moving your head and feeling the swing soak in your fingers on the steering wheel, just like a disc that you can put on the couch in the evening by closing your eyes and listening to the beautiful musicians who have kindly participated in this record with me.
CJZ – What do you think of the current jazz? Music in general? Of its broadcast?
I think that there are a lot of very good musicians and that’s the very good news. I am somewhat optimistic … That being said, I regret that too often the word is given to a jazz, extremely popular, or so complex that people get lost. That’s what the record is all about.
CJZ – Can you tell us about your fellow musicians on this album, too?
LM – Well I’m lucky! Together with Fabien Mary and his exceptional phrasing, David Sauzay with his strength and swing, Luigi Grasso, the new Charlie Parker, the incredible Jerry Edwards and his enormous sound and of course the incomparable Franck Basile that was so impressive during This session!
What to say ? It’s a gift. To support all this, I wanted a rhythmic quartet: me at the piano and three exceptional musicians for rhythm: Mourad Benhamou, Fabien Marcoz and the Italian vibraphonist Nicholas Thomas.
CJZ – Any other musicians you’d like to say a word about?
LM – There are so many musicians that I would like people to listen more, to name but a few, I recommend to plunge into Jimmy Heath’s records, to re-listen to the incredible voice of Anita O’day or still less known and yet incredible trumpeters like Carmell Jones…
A big blow for the pianist Bill Charlap! To be discovered urgently for those who do not know …
This Way Please, is an album Black & Blue / Autoprod SACEM
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