Search - Sylvain Luc, Bireli Lagrene :: Duet

Virtuosity and Musicality of the highest order.

Richard Cohn | New York, New York | 02/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I heard Sylvain Luc in Paris recently and was astounded by his extraordinary instrumental mastery and his remarkable interpretations of jazz and pop classics that are completely accessible and entirely fresh. Birelli has been a guitar god since his prodigious youth and has come a long way since his early days of channeling Django--in fact his most recent outings on disc have included a Sinatra Tribute on which he sings ( to great effect) as well as an album devoted to standards. (and to understand how complete a player he is, check out his work with the late-great Jaco Pastorious for some of the wildest Jazz/Rock jamming you could ever hope for.) On this duet disc, the styles of these two masters are different enough to provide a rich and compatible contrast- and their technical wizardry never interferes with the melodic lines and simple harmonies of the tunes. Time after Time and Isn't She Lovely are perfect examples of how they retain the simple structure of a familiar song while adding layers of improvisational dynamics and melodic invention to achieve an exciting blend of stimulating sound. This album is already one of my all time favorite guitar duo sessions."

I love it !

Richard Cohn | 03/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Another amazing performance featuring Bireli Lagrene, in my opinion one of the most exciting jazz guitarist. As an amateur guitarist myself, all of Bireli's work is source of ideas and inspiration. This CD also gives the opportunity to know a guitarist named Sylvain Luc, famous in France for being the side man of all the biggest name on the French scene. His technique is also impressing, admirably completing Bireli's style. He however can't be qualified as "straight" jazz guitarist, but more as a multi-talent, versatile personality. The choice of the songs is interesting, combining jazz standards and adaptation of popular music. I found especially remarkable the adaptation of a French song by George Brassens called "les amoureux des bancs publics" which in the original version is as far to a jazz song as possible, and which becomes here a very sensitive jazz ballad."

Killer guitar

Hippocrates G. Giatis | Burlingame, CA USA | 07/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't go more that a few days without listening to a cut from this CD. Sylvain Luc brings his skills as a Jaco style bass player to the guitar; adding with his incredible musical taste and exquisite guitar techniques - his performance RANKS AS THE BEST accompaniment in a 2 guitar grouping (Guitarists must hear him comp!!!). AND this doesn?t even speak to his terrific soloing. America needs to see and hear Sylvain Luc.
And for those who don?t know Bireli Lagrene is arguably the best jazz guitarist in our world today."