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Jazz Articles about Bireli Lagrene
Bir: Gipsy Project & Friends
by Trevor MacLaren
Once again Django disciple Biréli Lagrène has released an exquisite record: Gipsy Project & Friends is one of the finest guitar jazz discs of the year! Pulling together players like Florin Niculescu on violin, Hono Winterstein and Holzmano Lagrène on guitar, and the great Henri Salvador on vocals, Biréli Lagrène has mined the depths of Django's legacy. As with his past recordings, the guitarist approaches his instrument with a subtle and graceful motion that cascades in much the same way ...
read moreBir: Gypsy Project
by Jim Santella
Re-creating the music of Django Reinhardt, this time focused on the years after 1940, Biréli Lagrène brings back vivid memories: a two-step swing foundation without the usual rhythm section, a soaring Stéphane Grappelli violin melody, and Reinhardt's graceful guitar, trading improvised thoughts. Lagrène is superb. On “Vout et Moi," he transposes the rare solo that guitarist Reinhardt originally recorded on violin in 1942. And he does so with heartfelt expression. Few guitarists can articulate as well. Like Reinhardt, Lagrène was ...
read moreBireli Lagrene: Routes To Django/Bireli Swing '81
by Douglas Payne
Close your eyes and play any one of the 28 songs on this two-disc set. Guess when the recordings were made, who's playing and how old the player is. It sounds like the catchy, acoustic guitar swing pioneered by Django Reinhardt at the Hot Club de France in Paris during the 1930s.Hard as it is to believe, though, these recordings were made during the early 1980s, when fusion and disco reigned in jazz. Even more surprising, the fingers ...
read moreBireli Lagrene w/Larry Coryell & Miroslav Vitous: Special Guests
by AAJ Staff
“Are you ready?” Bireli Lagrene shouts with excitement. “Yeah...I am,” says Larry Coryell; he sounds testy but all is forgotten as we dive in a bed of strings. The crowd is still: the two strum mightily and then Bireli starts the theme, a Coryell line with a bit of flamenco. Notes wiggle and twist, with a metallic bite. Coryell adds a muscular rhythm part; loud broad strokes Bireli fights to play above. Larry’s turn sparkles: a frantic 12-string with airy ...
read moreBireli Lagrene: Blue Eyes
by John Sharpe
Recorded in June 1997, Blue Eyes showcases Europe’s master guitarist riffing on 13 classic tunes made famous by “The Voice." It’s a relaxed, yet hard-swingin’ session, highlighted by Lagrene’s fluid guitar stylings and Maurice Vanders’ joyful piano solos. Lagrene even includes a couple of vocals to the set and his renditions of The Lady Is A Tramp and You Make Me Feel So Young are surprisingly good. In light of his recent passing, a poignant and loving tribute to the ...
read moreBireli Lagrene: Blue Eyes
by Jim Santella
This straight-ahead jazz session from guitarist Bireli Lagrene, pianist Maurice Vander, bassist Chris Minh Doky, and drummer Andre Ceccarelli features songs identified with Frank Sinatra. It was recorded in June 1997 as a tribute to the singer who influenced each of the quartet's members as they were growing up and listening to music from all around the world. Audiences know Lagrene, a 31-year-old Frenchman who was born to a Gypsy family, as a mainstream guitarist in the Django Reinhardt tradition. ...
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