CD review: Stephane Belmondo, Sylvain Luc – 2.0 – 2019: Video, CD cover

20 years separate the meeting between the two artists, Stéphane Belmondo and Sylvain Luc, who after an evening of improvisation on the stage of the legendary Baisé Salé, in Paris, evening that carried them until the end of the night, gave birth to the CD “Ameskeri”. Nice success at the time for this album, followed by tours …

In 2017, Sylvain Luc founded a quintet with Stéphane and other musicians. After the first rehearsal, Stéphane Belmondo confided to Sylvain Luc: “What a way to replay together, it makes you want to revive the duo!” … It was enough for the idea to make its way and be served on a platter with this CD 2.0 will be released on October 18 at Naïve.

The most impressive on this CD is probably that the musicians succeed from the first title to plunge us into a jazz club night atmosphere, an Edward Hopper decor in which the two artists glide with delight by putting all their wisdom and all their know-how. In fact, we very quickly want to get out of this album and go with a band of friends to attend one of their concerts, because even if this album is “classy” by its style, it’s something that the we madly want to share.

A duet is a story of balance, listening, space-time, in which these two musicians excel. It is also a way of remembering that it is not always necessary to overload a production of various and varied effects. Here we work on the essentials, without cheating, and that is what touches the hearts of listeners.

If the album “Ameskeri”, released twenty years ago, was totally improvised, here there are 6 compositions, which does not change the deal deeply, but simply, in 20 years, the musicians have matured and offer as much their it is a pleasure to play, to find oneself again than to seek a more successful mode of expression, without necessarily wanting to stick to time or an era. And then there is this tasty passage where Stéphane Belmondeau returns to his first instrument, the accordion, with this nice version of the CD of “A Man In The City” by Philippe Sarde, for the film “The death of a Pour lautner.

As I told you, 2.0 is a beautiful setting, for our ears, our dreams, and also to invite us to discover, rediscover and enjoy the work of Stéphane Belmondo (trumpet and accordion) and Sylvain Luc (guitar).

Tracks

1. The Melancholy of Rita (3:26)
2. It’s Real (2:48)
3. Petite fourmi (1:57)
4. 2.1 (3:44)
5. Joey’s Smile (3:57)
6. African Waltz (2:55)
7. Les yeux dans l’eau (3:12)
8. 2.0 (6:36)
9. Evanescence (3:24)
10. Ribbon in the Sky (3:50)
11. 2.2 (3:56)
12. Mort d’un pourri (2:46)
13. Tard le soir (2:53)
14. On the same Road (3:55)

Stephane Belmondo – bugle, trumpet, accordion
Sylvain Luc – guitar