Pierre Marcus – Second Life

On this, his fourth album, Pierre Marcus expresses the full richness of his musical universe through seven original self-penned pieces and three covers.

These include Thomas Dorsey’s beautiful gospel song (Take My Hand, Precious Lord), Matt Dennis’s standard Angel Eyes and Gabriel Fauré’s famous melody Après un rêve, interpreted by Baptiste Herbin in all its poetic glory.

The result of this wide-ranging repertoire is a variety of tones and moods, reflected in the leader’s compositions inspired by Bulgarian folklore (Le soleil de Kalinka), the blues and a touch of Coltrane, but also by the expression of moods and life. All this is rendered by the cohesion of an orchestra featuring long-time accomplices (Baptiste Herbin, Simon Chivallon, Thomas Delor) and the presence of distinguished guests perfectly integrated into the action: Mélina Tobiana, Raphaël Pannier, Benjamin Henocq and Sylvain Gontard, imperial in Blues For My Cheez.

A music that nurtures the jazz tradition, not by reproducing it to the letter but by adorning it with a contemporary touch that makes it original.