(le) poisson rouge

Daniel Yvinec is the first Artistic Director appointed to head the Orchestre National de Jazz for a six-year mandate, and follows the other musical directors who, through nine different projects undertaken since the birth of the Orchestra in 1986 (25th birthday in 2011), have chronicled the history of this unique "institution" created on the initiative of the French Ministry of Culture.

SHUT UP AND DANCE

DANIEL YVINEC artistic direction

JOHN HOLLENBECK composition/arrangements

Produced in a creative sphere covering New York, Paris, Berlin and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Shut Up And Dance emphasizes the relation between music and movement. The spotlight turns to rhythm in all aspects of expression, at times even where least expected: a ping pong ball bouncing across piano wire, miscellaneous objects mistreated by computer software, instrument keys, hands rubbing, PVC tubes morphing into melodies… Percussion is everywhere, a bona fide sequence of powerful melodic passages that blend the shades of a repeating musical sound, pygmy music, art music, electronic music, not to overlook a Gnawas' trance or a Duke Ellington swing.

John Hollenbeck's compositions, inspired specially for this program, stem from an extensive collaboration with Daniel Yvinec and reveal the excitement and body of classical works, in a series of ten mini-concertos, each one dedicated to a different orchestra musician tailored to their unique personality and language.

Turning the notion of instrumental function on its head without a moment's hesitation, the wind instruments drive the beat, while the prepared piano moves onto the percussion side of the orchestra… It's all about the idea of movement, conveyed in these mesmerizing rhythms, always and forever crisscrossing so as to ease our separation from self.

EVE RISSER piano, prepared piano, flutes
VINCENT LAFONT keyboards, electronics
ANTONIN-TRI HOANG s alto saxophone, clarinets
MATTHIEU METZGER saxophones, trombophone
JOCE MIENNIEL flutes, electronics
RÉMI DUMOULIN tenor saxophone, clarinets
SYLVAIN BARDIAU trumpet
PIERRE PERCHAUD guitar, banjo
SYLVAIN DANIEL electric bass
YOANN SERRA drums

John Hollenbeck is one of the rare artists who have mastered the tradition of big band composition while crossing aesthetic borderlines and speaking directly to the time we live in today. “eternal interlude”, the Grammy-nominated follow-up to “A Blessing” and the second CD by John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble, is an audacious example of the power of big band jazz to express emotions well beyond swing-era clichés.

Hollenbeck’s music is a daring mix of pure, heart-on-sleeve lyricism and robust rhythmic propulsion, and eternal interlude is earning acclaim for its rich, panoramic orchestral textures as well as its members’ powerful individual voices. As Nate Chinen said in the New York Times: “The drummer and composer John Hollenbeck inhabits a world of gleaming modernity, and “Eternal Interlude” (Sunnyside), the second album featuring his Large Ensemble, reflects both the clarity and brightness of his vision.” Hollenbeck’s twenty-piece ensemble consists of top New York musicians, like regular Hollenbeck bandmates Matt Moran (Claudia Quintet), Gary Versace (Refuge Trio) and Theo Bleckmann (Refuge Trio). Other featured players include saxophonists Tony Malaby and Ellery Eskelin, trombonist Jacob Garchik and bassist Kermit Driscoll. Unlike most contemporary big bands, this is no random agglomeration of freelancers – the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble is an actual band. Practically all of the musicians appeared on “A Blessing,” and continue to perform with the Ensemble in concert.

Theo Bleckmann. A jazz singer and new music composer of eclectic tastes and prodigious gifts, GRAMMY NOMINATED Theo Bleckmann makes music that is accessibly sophisticated, unsentimentally emotional, and seriously playful. His work provokes the mind to wonder, but connects immediately with the heart. Bleckmann has released a series of gorgeous and irreverent albums on Winter & Winter, including recordings of Las Vegas standards, of Berlin kabarett, a recording of newly-arranged songs by Charles Ives and most recently Solos for Voice and Toys. His uniquely flexible and colorful voice has also inspired compositions by, among others, Michael Gordon, Phil Kline, David Lang, Ikue Mori, Kirk Nurock, and Julia Wolf.

More concerned with the essence of a song than idiomatic limitations, Palmetto Records’ vocalist and Grammy nominee Kate McGarry has managed to attract the attention of tomorrow’s jazz fans. Beyond her obvious affinity for swing, an eclectic repertoire ranging from Irving Berlin to The Cars, and her signature contralto convey a message with a crystal clarity that precludes the need for gimmick or effect. All that’s left is undeniably honest music that transcends the boundaries of age or genre. With five records including the Grammy nominated, If Less Is More ... Nothing Is Everything, she's established herself as one of contemporary jazz's most moving and enigmatic voices. The Wall St. Journal called the recording, "austere and elegant...an exceptionally appealing blend of folk and jazz."

Uri Caine was born in Philadelphia and began studying piano with Bernard Peiffer. He played in bands led by Philly Joe Jones, Hank Mobley, Johnny Coles, Mickey Roker, Odean Pope, Jymmie Merritt, Bootsie Barnes and Grover Washington. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and studied music composition with George Rochberg and George Crumb.

Since moving to New York City Caine has recorded 19 cds as a leader. His most recent is The Othello Syndrome (Winter and Winter 2008) He has made cd's featurning his jazz trio, his Bedrock Trio and the ensemble performing arrangements of Mahler, Wagner, Beethoven, Bach and Schumann.

Recently Caine has received commissions from the Vienna Volksoper, The Seattle Chamber Players, Relache, The Beaux Arts Trio, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, Concerto Koln and the American Composers Orchestra. Caine was the Director of the Venice Biennale for Music in September 2003, where he also premiered his new work "The Othello Syndrome". He has performed his version of the Diabelli Variations with orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the CBC Orchestra in Candada and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. In 2006 he was named composer in residence for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and premiered his Concerto for Two Pianos and Chamber Orchestra with Jeffrey Kahane in May 2006.

During the past several years, Caine has worked in groups led by Don Byron, Dave Douglas, John Zorn, Terry Gibbs and Buddy DeFranco, Clark Terry, Rashid Ali, Arto Lindsay, Sam Rivers and Barry Altschul, the Woody Herman Band, Annie Ross, the Enja Band, Global Theory and the Master Musicians of Jajouka. He has received grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts , the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pew Foundation. He has performed at many jazz festivals including The North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival. Monterey Jazz Festival, JVC Festival, San Sebastian Jazz Festival, Vittoria Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, as well as classical festivals including The Salzburg Festival, Munich Opera, Holland Festival, Israel Festival, IRCAM, and Great Performers at Lincoln Center.