CD review: Bireli Lagrene – Storyteller 2018: Video

He is one of the most famous jazz guitarist in the world! After a long period of «Gypsy Jazz», he is back to tradition with a new repertoire and a outstanding trio: Larry Grenadier (Brad Meldhau) on upright bass and Mino Cinelu (Miles Davis, Sting) on percussions.

An original composition, Brazilian and jazz standards, a breathtaking cover of Eddie Harris’s «Freedom Jazz Dance»… It has never been heard before!

Bireli Lagrene was born a Sinti Gypsy on September 4th 1966 in the border region between France and Germany known commonly as the Alsace. He still lives in a caravan, unlike many of his contemporaries.

He started playing guitar at the age of four years, even by Gypsy standards this is still early, and was playing jazz by the age of seven.

Even at thirteen when he started recording, his maturity of playing was truly astounding. With a depth and passion of his own compositions only normally found (if your lucky) after many years playing, already coming to the fore.

As the “Django Style” of playing was the mainstream of his family’s music, his father was a renowned guitarist in the thirties and his brothers and cousins are all competent self taught musicians, he became a bit of a Django copyist but he very soon moved on to create his own style. This style is very hard to define as he is constantly changing but always staying within the jazz spectrum. Bireli is classed as a guitarists guitarist always surprising and bloody cool with it.

1. One Take
2. Estate
3. Wave
4. Stella By Starlight
5. Freedom Jazz Dance
6. Sunny
7. My One And Only Love
8. There Is No Greater Love
9. More
10. On Green Dolphin Street
11. Life In The Folds
12. Storyteller

Biréli Lagrène – guitar
Larry Grenadier – bass
Mino Cinélu – percussions