Rivages Jean-Louis Matinier

• 1 Schumannsko 04:51
• 2 Après la pluie 03:37
• 3 Les berceaux 03:22
• 4 Rêverie 03:19
• 5 Miroirs 03:11
• 6 Greensleeves 03:57
• 7 Feux follets 02:27
• 8 La chanson d'Hélène 03:46
• 9 In C 04:39
• 10 Derivando 02:10
• 11 Sous l'horizon 04:13
• Total Runtime 39:32

Info for Rivages

Accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier has long been a creative presence on ECM recordings, heard with the groups of Anouar Brahem (on Le pas du chat noir and Le voyage de Sahar), Louis Sclavis (Dans la nuit) and François Couturier (Nostalghia, Tarkovsky Quartet), as well as in duo with Marco Ambrosini (Inventio). Now comes the first documentation of a new endeavour, with guitarist Kevin Seddiki, whose far-reaching musical imagination matches Matinier’s own. Sedikki, who makes his ECM debut here, studied classical guitar with Pablo Márquez and has also worked with many improvisers across the idioms, from jazz to transcultural projects. The range of music addressed on Rivages runs from the traditional “Greensleeves” to Gabriel Fauré’s “Les Berceaux” to compositions and improvisations by both of the protagonists. Rivages was recorded at Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo Studio in April 2018, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier has long been a creative presence on ECM recordings, heard with the groups of Anouar Brahem (on Le pas du chat noir and Le voyage de Sahar), Louis Sclavis (Dans la nuit) and François Couturier (Nostalghia, Tarkovsky Quartet), as well as in duo with Marco Ambrosini (Inventio). Now comes the first documentation of a new endeavour, with guitarist Kevin Seddiki, whose far-reaching musical imagination matches Matinier’s own. Sedikki, who makes his ECM debut here, studied classical guitar with Pablo Márquez, and has also worked with many improvisers across the idioms - from jazz to transcultural projects. The range of music addressed on Rivages runs from Gabriel Fauré’s “Les Berceaux” to the traditional “Greensleeves” to compositions and improvisations by both of the protagonists.

The accordionist and guitarist first met almost a decade ago at France’s Royaumont Abbey, long a centre for intercultural exchange and study. Jean-Louis Matinier was subsequently part of a group Kevin Seddiki assembled with percussionist Bijan Chemirani, vocalist Maria Simoglou and viola da gamba player Paolo Pandolfo. Later, Matinier and Seddiki performed in trio with Chemirani. “The more we played together the clearer it became that we had to go into a deeper musical conversation in duo, exploring sounds and colours and orchestral possibilities of our instruments.”

The concept they have since described as “chamber music open to the world” flowered naturally over the course of several years. Seddiki: “We would meet regularly to play, in France or in Germany. Taking time to work on the music. Bringing up ideas, and focussing on space, textures, balance.” In similar manner, the repertoire for Rivages came together gradually. “We might read through a piece for voice and piano, like ‘Les Berceaux’ , or build up a composition around one rhythm and texture. ‘In C’ is an example of this.”

Seddiki’s approach to rhythm - and the sometimes percussive nature of his guitar work - has been influenced by his studies of the Iranian hand drum the tombak, or zarb, which he also plays in concert. An affinity for the breathing quality of instruments of the accordion family, meanwhile, is evident in his biography; early in his performing life, he accompanied bandoneon master Dino Saluzzi, and his first album as leader (Il Sentiero, 2012) featured Daniele Di Bonaventura.

With Matinier the rapport was instant: “We share really specific ideas about sound and rhythm.” The two musicians are able to exchange thoughts as they move through a very broad range of moods and idioms – the opening track on Rivages, for instance, draws upon both a Bulgarian traditional melody and a theme from Schumann - or take the plunge into total improvisation. On the present album, “Miroirs”, “Feux Follets” and the solo guitar piece “Derivando” are all improvisations, each with a strong feeling for form.

Kevin Seddiki: “It’s very rare, to meet at this place in between written music, improvised, older and new music...but with a lot of common vocabulary.”

Jean-Louis Matinier, who has worked in ensembles from small groups to orchestras, played as a member of France’s Orchestre National de Jazz, and accompanied Juliette Gréco on numerous tours, welcomes the challenges of the duo format, and his other duo partners have included Marco Ambrosini, Renaud Garcia-Fons and Michael Riessler. As he once said, the duo context “allows great freedom, an immediate reaction, a total dialogue, an appreciation of silence and of time.”

Rivages was recorded in April 2018 in the acoustically-responsive Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in Lugano, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Jean-Louis Matinier, accordion
Kevin Seddiki, guitar

Jean Louis Matinier
Inventio is an inventive project at all levels, beginning with the instrumentation. Marco Ambrosini is one of very few musicians playing nyckelharpa outside the Swedish folk tradition, and Jean-Louis Matinier hassimilarly taken the accordion beyond any ‘folkloric’ frame of reference. On the present disc, the French-Italian duo plays a programme inspired by the baroque sonatas of Bach and Biber but also by the lyrical cadences of Pergolesi. They adapt and arrange works of each of these masters, and contribute compositions of their own.

Following a path fromancient to modern music, they improvise together, finding new sound-colour combinations in the special blending of their instruments. Inventio is a recording that will delight listeners who have appreciated Matinier’s ECM recordings with Anouar Brahem, François Couturier’s Tarkovsky Quartet, and Louis Sclavis, as well as Ambrosini’s discs with Rolf Lislevand, Giovanna Pessi/Susanna Wallumrød and Helena Tulve.

Kevin Seddiki
Born in 1981, Kevin Seddiki began to play music with Classical Guitar, encouraged by his father, (who plays saxophone) and very early listens to a lot a different music.

Playing the Classical repertoire, his very curious of the many ways a guitar can sound or be approached, and starts to play with a young Rock band, where he plays Electric bass.

His former Teacher J.P Billet, and later on Argentinian Maestro Pablo Marquez will have a great influence on him, but also Dino Saluzzi, or American guitar legend Al di Meola, who teached him his very unique picking technique.

When he meets the Franco-Iranian percussion masters "Chemirani Trio" ( The father and his 2 sons) , he s totally fascinated by the possibilities and versatility of this instrument, that he starts to Study, Mainly with Keyvan Chemirani.

Also, his friendship and musical experiences with Bijan Chemirani will change many things in his approach, and playing guitar with him will also let him discover many things around this instrument and repertoires from the Iran, Turkey, and Greece.

Now playing guitar and Iranian Tombak, but also composing, K.Seddiki plays the whole world ( Carnegie Hall, Berliner Philarmonie, Teatro la Fenice, Tokyo and N.Y Blue Note, Seoul Jazz Festival...etc...) , with names such as Dino Saluzzi, Philip Catherine, Al Di Meola, Michel Legrand, Quatuor Voce...

When he met accordion player Jean-Louis Matinier , they immediately enjoyed sharing the same taste for Sound, Space, Rythm, Improvisation... And after some concerts in Duo in Europe, they recently recorded a First album for the label ECM Records, to be released in Spring 2020.

Booklet for Rivages