Take Five With Franck Amsallem

AAJ Staff

Contributor since 1995

Various staff members.

Recent articles (1,149 total)

Published: January 28, 2010

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?
My sense of melody combined with my sense of swing, combined with my original tunes.

Did you know...
I was born in Algeria,North Africa, in 1961, on a night when curfew was in effect during the Independance war. People were being shot without warning. And my father had to drive my mother to the maternity that night.

CDs you are listening to now:
Bartok, Menuhin - Violin Concerto - (EMI)
Maria Schneider - Concert in the Garden -( Artist Share)
Danilo Perez Danilo Perez
b.1966
piano - Panamonk - (Impulse)
Tommy Flanagan Tommy Flanagan
1930 - 2001
piano - Ballad and Blues - (Enja)
Solosolal - Martial Solal- (MPS)

Desert Island picks:
John Coltrane - Live at the Village Vanguard - (Impulse)
Bob Brookmeyer - Gloomy Sunday - (Emarcy)
Bartok, Menuhin - Violin Concerto - (EMI)
Chick Corea - Live in Montreux - (Sketch)
Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald
1917 - 1996
vocal - The Complete Songbooks - Emarcy

How would you describe the state of jazz today?
Worrisome... hope it will get better.

What are some of the essential requirements to keep jazz alive and growing?
Jazz education at all levels, wider exposure, and a will to go back to the values of swing, melody and harmony.

What is in the near future?
Amsallem Sings, current project where I sing and play standards.

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:
A writer or a journalist, or involved in social studies.

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