Le gros cube #2 Alban Darche

• 1 A la bougie 06:44
• 2 Ping-pong 04:35
• 3 Arcane XV - le diable 08:46
• 4 Arcane XVIIII - le soleil 03:34
• 5 Le mort joyeux 03:50
• 6 Beauty and sadness II 04:10
• 7 Le chemin (vertueux) 06:48
• 8 L'oiseau qu'on voit chante sa plainte 03:33
• 9 Arcane XXII - le mat 03:22
• 10 Le cercle 04:15
• Total Runtime 49:37

Info for Le gros cube #2

Amongst all the machine-linked metaphors used in the history of large groups in jazz, that of Alban Darche’s Gros Cube (literally “Big Bike”) is unusual, but absolutely perfect for describing this brand new band. It can purr, snore, or roar in turn; it can even gleam and sparkle, but it never goes over the top. The impression it leaves is less one of a Formula 1 engine than that of a gleeful ballet of bikers out for a good time, swept along in a masterly choreography. Alban Darche succeeds in inventing the most improbable combinations of instruments out of the strictly classical instrumentation of the typical Big Band; he’s constantly putting sections together then dismounting them, as if it were all a musical meccano and he’s a child “screwing” the new sounds together with his particularly gifted hands.

Each of the 17 members of the band – all soloists – seems galvanised into action by a strong sense of liberty, thanks to the roaring breakaways the coherent and spectacular orchestration allows them. As for the collective harmonised parts, they all show an outstanding “vocal” quality that is virtually unknown in current instrumental jazz.

Jon Irabagon, alto saxophone
Loren Stillman, alto saxophone
Alban Darche, tenor saxophone
Matthieu Donarier, tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Rémi Sciuto, baritone saxophone, flute
Joël Chausse, trumpet
Geoffroy Tamisier, trumpet
Jean-Paul Estiévenart, trumpet
Olivier Laisney, trumpet
John Fedchock, trombone
Jean-Louis Pommier, trombone
Samuel Blaser, trombone
Matthias Quilbault, tuba
Marie Krüttli, piano
Gilles Coronado, guitar
Sébastien Boisseau, double bass
Christophe Lavergne, drums

Alban Darche
Album after album, through an ever increasing number of line-ups and experiences, Alban Darche has been building a highly original, free-spirited and coherent body of work. He’s the ingenious composer and leader of several bands that bring together some of the most talented French and international soloists.

Destined to scientific studies, Alban Darche chose to flourish in the artistic field: after classical music studies at the Conservatoire de Nantes, he joined the jazz class of the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris.

A saxophonist, composer and arranger, he has about thirty albums under his name. He combines a wide range of talents mixing jazz with pop, rock, opera, cinema, rap and slam, contemporary and chamber music.

He changes labels from dance to musical theater and has worked with the National Jazz Orchestra, Philippe Katerine, Thomas Pourquery, Jeanne Ad- ded, Gabor Gado, theatre director Sylvain Maurice, choreographer Nasser Martin- Gousset, writer Pierre Bordage, dramatic author Marion Aubert and more.

Alban Darche and drummer and composer John Hollenbeck were awarded the French-American Jazz Exchange for their collaboration in the US-Eu- ropean quartet JASS, feat. Sebastien Boisseau and Samuel Blaser . In 2016 Alban co-composed « Le Tombeau de Poulenc" a orchestral piece for big- band and two pianos with composers Mathias Ruëgg et Jean-Christophe Cholet.

Alban is the co-founder and artistic director of very active label Yolkrecords, who received a Django d’Or award and has released more than 80 references. Yolk is awarded Label of the year 2019 by Les Victoires du jazz. ​

Alban Darche has played with...Steve Argüelles, John Hollenbeck, Samuel Blaser, Thomas de Pourquery, Daniel Yvinec, David Chevallier, Tim Berne, Marc Ducret, Julien Lourau, Kenny Wheeler, Driss El Maloumi, Baptiste Trotignon, André Minvielle, Vincent Courtois, Katerine, Geoffroy de Masure, Evan Parker, Olivier Sens, Franck Vaillant, D’ de Kabal, Dgiz, Médéric Colligon, Stéphane Payen, Christophe Lavergne, Sylvain Rifflet, Julien Lourau, Laurent Blondiau, Eric Vloiemans, Julian Siegel, Gilles Coronado, François Thuillier, Daniel Casimir, Fred Pallem, Jeanne Added, Tom Arthurs, Didier Ithursarry, Laia Genc, Jean-Philippe Morel, Tim Hagans, Ingrid Laubrock, Jon Irabagon... ​

... in numerous festivals, theaters and clubs in France : Banlieues Bleues, Europa Jazz Festivat , Jazz à Cluny, Jazz à Couches, Jazz au fil de l’Oise, Jazz sous les Pommiers, Jazzdor à Strasbourg, Les Rendez-Vous de l’Erdre, Nancy Jazz Pulsation, Flâneries musicales de Reims, Paris jazz Festival, Tourcoing Jazz Festival...

... and abroad: Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey, China, USA, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Morocco, England , Korea, Japan.

Booklet for Le gros cube #2