Domi is known and reknown in the accordeon world for her exceptional career full of success, medals, cups and trophies, she was a prizewinner several times at the most prestigious competitions.  Then, having won everything in the “Variety”category, Domi tackles the “Classic”domain and wins again!...Everything.

Roman has also won many prestigious titles, including the Grand Prix of Cassino in Italy where Jacques Mornet, director of the CNIMA, notices his exceptional technique and offers him to complete his musical studies in this famous and unique internationally reknown school.  This is where he met Domi.

Between the young Siberian and the pretty girl from Burgundy complicity sets in.  Though they have their own style, their common passion for the accordeon unites them to offer together their music to the public.

Domi and Roman have built as a duo an original repertoire, laced with classic tunes such as the Adagio in A major by Mozart or Bach’s “Badinerie”, with Russian traditional music such as “Kazatchok” by Risol or “Mishka” by Bejov , and with great modern compositions such as “Caprice Mazurka” by Marcel Azzola or “Ave Maria” by Astor Piazzola.  Moreover, two pieces:  “Russian Fantasy” by Dittel, and “Boutade” by J.Rossi and J.Baselli are on this album.

With this record, Domi and Roman invite you to share their emotions and passions, to travel with them between two worlds, two cultures, from Paris to Moscow, from Burgundy to Siberia, from Musette to folklore, it’s the fusion of two beings, two cultures, two musics and two accordeons answering each other and singing together to create a new style, timeless and eternal, powerful and soft at the same time. 

A beautiful story, a beautiful encounter for a beautiful music.

A 23 year-long career, full of events for the accordeonist Jean-Robert Chapellet : he and his band have played on all continents (U.S.A, China, Australia, Pakistan, Japan…), on the best stages in France (Pavillon Baltard, Olymmpia, Zenith of Paris,…), he also accompanied the greatest singers such as Charles Trenet, he has been a guest in prestigious French TV shows (Champs Elysées, La Chance aux Chansons...), he is also a Radio and TV presenter (Top accordéon on Mont-Blanc TV).

And after 23 years in the job, Jean-Robert, for his and especially our pleasure, has made is first Jazz-Musette album.  14 titles of Bossa nova, jazz funk, béguine and swing.  An album taking us back to the source of jazz, made for dancing!

Official web site

http://www.chappelet-musique.com

Some people, throughout centuries, have crossed Europe, singing and playing various instruments, never claiming territory, if only the freedom to cross them all, borrowing their musical vocabulary and building up a treasure in which others would be able to dip into.  As time goes by, music evolves according to the musicians’imagination.  Indeed, the oral tradition allows this type of magic consisting in improvising, ornating, and making the music one’s own.  This way of tackling it particularly fits those who haven’t had any cultural heritage, and who, though knowing their origins, haven’t been brought up with traditions.

This is the case with the Bratsch musicians, whose parents or grandparents have emigrated either from abroad to France, or from the province to Paris, and who, throughout the years, made their own music using the heritage mentioned previously.  Then, the writing, a reflection of the band’s collective expression, is put into place, creating a new music, which Bratsch calls pre-traditional, being unable to play it traditionally straight away, and likely to become one day the basis for a tradition.  This album recalls of course thoughts and feelings inspired by the two implacable and common realities of life   and death, but above all, the expression of the original “all that”, painful, often happy manner that everyone has to tame the reality of their condition:  what do we do in the meantime?  The answer may be hidden behind a little travelling note, telling a lasting story, playing with time, making fun of delays, where music and friendship can be discovered.

The musicians know all too well how difficult it is to create an ensemble or an orchestra that can become a proper “band”, whose members manage to find the necessary complicity to create “a sound”.  It is quite a mysterious and often fragile thing.  The improbable gathering of odd personalities, which naturally led Bratsch to develop a happy eclecticism, is probably mysterious, but not fragile.  This group intuitively started  from bases close enough to be able to indefinitely fetch inspiration made out of understanding and pleasure.  These foundations are those of oral tradition, in the way they have to capture the music as they capture the audience.  The Bratsch musicians have stayed close to story-telling.  Because they practice, in other circumstances, an avant-garde music, doesn’t mean they forget the evening party music type.

The Bratsch musicians cultivate the dream-like strength of tradition but play with the rule.  They have no liking for definitive form, they like to be free to play as they wish, to mix all sorts of influences and to introduce their own style.

Nomadic in their music, and for a long time at ease with the modernity of world travel, they mix, with joy, urban music and exotic romances, strange compositions and variety, -or not quite so-, screams and confidences, humour and seriousness.

If at the beginning, Bratsch moves back to traditions from the Balkans, its use of jazz makes sense, as well as its modern way to contemplate certain melodic developments, some treatments of sounds or screamed tunes.  It happens to be coming from a good understanding of traditional music in which you keep finding these types of expressive tricks.  Bratsch doesn’t fail from reminding us , with purpose, that musics from the East still have, just like jazz, a primordial quality, forgotten in our society: improvisation.

Happiness of playing in context: the music adapts itself to its surroundings and to the audience’s reactions, provoking it if needs be.

These musics called “gipsy”, - it is true that the musicians, often gipsy themselves, who play them, bring the magnificence of their playful virtuosity and of their vertiginous phrasing-, give out a sort of “blues” mixed with energy.  You can never tell if they are happy or sad, they’re both.  They express with great strength the duality of feelings .  Bratsch, mixing the raw side with the light side –with a hint of tenderness-, has made it its specialty.

Ever since people can remember there have been those who have crossed Europe singing
and playing different instruments and unique music.These wanderers never claimed a territory. Instead, they laid claim to the freedom to cross all the territories of Europe, borrowing the bits and pieces of a territory's musical vocabulary and putting together a musical treasure from which others could draw. As time passed, the music developed, drifting wherever the musicians' imagination carried it. The oral tradition allows this sort of magic which consists of improvisation, ornamentation and their appropriation of the music.This approach to music particularly suits those who haven't acquired a cultural heritage. These people may have known their origins, but they didn't grow up in the traditions of their origins.Such is the case with the musicians of Bratsch, whose parents or grandparents emigrated either from foreign countries to France or from provinces to Paris. They have, as time passed, created a music drawn from their earlier origins, the origins of their parents.
The result is a style of music that reflects the combined expression of the group. It's a style that has developed gradually, resulting in the creation of a new music. The music isn't what one would call traditional. The members of Bratsch call it pretraditional, a music that may one day become the basis for a new tradition.The title of this CD reflects the impressions and emotions inspired by two implacable and ordinary realities : life and death. Add to that the resigned yet carefee expression "and all that", suggesting an opportunity for individuals to tame the reality of their conditions :What do we do while waiting ? The answer could be hidden behind a traveling little note of music that tells a story and which bides the time by playing off-beat rhythms in which one can discover both music and friendship.

Etienne Boisdron is an artist who has always been interested in new experiences and in all types of music from different cultures.  For many years, he was in a band of folk music, collecting and revisiting old and forgotten themes from his region.  He’s also interested in Irish and Scottish traditional music.  He works and records with choirs, experiments with North African music, participates in recording music for children.  He has met Jean Vidaillac, Charango player and initiator in France of a movement of traditional music from the Andes, especially from Bolivia.  Thus, he has become a member of the “Sagarnaga”group , has recorded many albums and participated in many concerts of Bolivian music, either as a small or as a large band – made of around 60 musicians-, and has gone on numerous courses.

In 2007, Etienne records “A coeur ouvert”, an album largely made up of his own compositions, with various influences (Jazz songs, world music, film music...).

The accordeon expressing itself in all its diversity and wealth: it is found in the wonderful and refined playing skills of François Parisi, virtuoso of the unavoidable albums “Paris-Musette”, then, we let ourselves being carried away by the warm and melodious sounds of Viviane Arnoux’s original style.François Michaud’s wild violin gets into their discussions, acts as a referee, takes off on their rhythmical spirit, and puts his oar in ...And the exchanges between the three create an energy and a joy affecting greatly the audience.The accordeon expressing itself in all its diversity and wealth: it is found in the wonderful and refined playing skills of François Parisi, virtuoso of the unavoidable albums “Paris-Musette”, then, we let ourselves being carried away by the warm and melodious sounds of Viviane Arnoux’s original style.François Michaud’s wild violin gets into their discussions, acts as a referee, takes off on their rhythmical spirit, and puts his oar in ...
And the exchanges between the three create an energy and a joy affecting greatly the audience.

Born in 1978, Jazz musician at heart since his childhood, Ludovic Beier discovers Chick Corea, George Duke, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, George Benson...who will all influence him throughout his musical training.  He starts composing from an early age and sneaks in his records some of his themes, from ballads to be-bop...His encounter with Angelo Debarre, was to mark the beginning of his career as a Jazz musician, a moment he had been waiting for a long time.

In a very short time, his name, together with Angelo’s, takes on an international dimension, with, highest consecration, a series of successful concerts at the famous Birdland club in New York, temple of worldwide jazz.  During this American tour, Ludovic played and “jammed” with, among others, Dorado Smith, James Carter, Paquito D’Rivera and Frank Wess.  Moreover, some concerts have been broadcast on the mythical radio station WBGO.

In march 2006, he had the great privilege of playing in the “Magic of Toots” concert at the NYC Carnegie Hall with Toots Thielemans, Herbie Hancock, Eliane Elias, Ivan Lins, Oscar Castro-Neves, Paquito D’Rivera, Joe Lovano, Ari Honig, Scott Colley, and Kenny Werner.

Besides, Ludovic Beier was awarded in 2005 the Gus Viseur Prize, and in 2007 the SACEM spring prize with the Francis Baxter Prize.

Official website

http://www.ludovicbeier.com

Estelle Sauvain began playing the accordeon at the age of 5 in Millau.  At 11, she joins the Conservatoire National de Région of Montpellier.  At the same time, she studies the Variety Accordeon with Robert Angles, Jacques Mornet (CNIMA) and Frédéric Deschamps, as well as the Concert Accordeon with Eric Pisani at the Conservatoire d’Avignon.
Winner of many international competitions, she was world champion in 2006, being awarded the World Trophy in Kragujevac (Serbia).  She graduated from the Conservatoire (gold medal), in Concert and Chamber accordeon, and got together with her sister Angelique, a pianist, to form a multi-facetted duo with classic and Tango features.

Official website

http://www.estellesauvain.com

This project from the accordeonist Ludovic Beier is centred around the “Braziliarization” of themes from the master Django Reinhardt.

This talented artist has, on this occasion, surrounded himself with top quality musicians specialised in this discipline:

Thierry Moncheny – guitar

Matthieu Guillemant – percussions (very familiar with the Brazilian beat)

Samson Schmitt – solo guitar (crème de la crème of the new generation of gipsy guitarists).

Official web site

http://www.ludovicbeier.com

Patrick Suplon mainly plays Jazz and Gipsy swing.

His encounters with the guitarist Birelli Lagrene and the accordeonist Fred Schlick confirm his passion for this music.

Patrick Suplon participated in many festivals, such as the “Printemps des bretelles” in 2006-2007-2008 and 2009.

He has been also invited to the “Nuits de Nacre” of Tulles in September 2009.  He has performed in many concerts and been on TV numerous times.