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Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.
@-Quartet: ¡En Seguida!
by Jack Bowers
On ¡En Seguida!, its third album as a unit, French guitarist Didier Verna's astutely-named @-Quartet is lyrically clever and charming, rhythmically sharp and strong, and never banal or boring. One reason for this is the many bright and pleasing sounds Verna coaxes from his guitars (regular and fretless), guitar synth and sitar; a second is his remarkably keen ear for melodies that linger in the ear and invite repeated listening. Besides leading the ensemble, Verna, a professor of computer science ...
read moreDidier Verna @-quartet: Roots And Leaves
by Edward Blanco
French guitarist and composer Didier Verna delivers his second album as leader with the very audacious Roots and Leaves containing eleven original compositions ranging from contemporary traditional to funky, bluesy and even folky at times. A classically-trained pianist who at age eleven moved to the guitar as his preferred instrument, employs the fretless and three other different guitars including a synthesizer to produce a variety of sounds that makes this album a pleasure to hear. Inspired by the ...
read moreDidier Verna: Roots and Leaves
by Roger Farbey
Don't judge a book a book by its cover or a recording by its first track. “Old Times" is certainly that, a paean to the swinging age of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France and guitarist Didier Verna displays his considerable talent with a nimble solo, as do each of the other members of the quartet. In the true tradition of Mony Python, “Circulocentrique" is something completely different. This is a tasteful funky blues workout, again ...
read moreDidier Verna @-quartet: Roots And Leaves
by Chris Mosey
Parisian guitarist Didier Verna plays very much in the Pat Metheny tradition but with a sunny, melodic touch. His music is well thought out but never overly serious, with humor playing an important part in his compositions and improvisations. Roots And Leaves, the title of this, his second album, was chosen with care. Verna says: “Roots are our foundation, our basis, our legacy and our culture... leaves are the multiple, blooming facets of our personality, our character ...
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