Idiomatically conversant with jazz, classical music, world music, and complimented by an unmeasured expertise of the music of Astor Piazzolla, Julien Labro has established himself as one of the leading figures of his generation on both the accordion and the bandoneón.

The Music of Astor Piazzolla CD, a great gift for the holidays by ClevelandClassical.com

By Mike Telin

With the holidays upon us, what better musical gift to give than a recording by local musicians! Here are some CD’s we have received in the past few months that may give you gifting ideas. CD’s previewed or reviewed by ClevelandClassical.com appear at the end.

CD previewed on ClevelandClassical.com on November 29

Everything about this album is great: the arrangements, the performances, and the recording quality. Once again Jason Vieaux proves himself to be a masterful musician – Julien Labro’s bandoneon playing would surly make Pizzolla smile – A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra are superb collaborators who easily negotiate the tricky rhythms and special tango techniques. While The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires and Histoire du Tango have become standard concert repertoire, the Double Concerto for Bandoneón, Guitar, & String Orchestra is a spectacular composition that for many reasons is not heard often enough: the performance by Vieaux and Labro is outstanding and alone worth the cost of admission. Gail Wein’s extremely well written liner notes provide valuable historical context.

See other CDs here

Share
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Review of PIAZZOLLA CD in Cleveland Plain Dealer

VIEAUX.JPG

The Music of Astor Piazzolla
Jason Vieaux, guitar; Julien Labro, bandoneon
Azica Records

Cleveland guitarist Jason Vieaux adds to his list of stellar recordings with this alluring program of works by Argentina’s master of the tango. The music seduces the listener as Vieaux and bandoneon player Julien Labro weave sinuous lines in Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons” and “Hommage a Liege” with A Far Cry, the terrific Boston-based chamber orchestra, and on their own in “History of the Tango.” The irresistible performances and crystal-clear sound — from Cleveland-based Azica Records — make this a don’t-miss disc. Grade: A – Donald Rosenberg, Plain Dealer Reporter

Share
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

From concept to recording: the coming together of Azica records’ “The Music of Astor Piazzolla”

By Mike Telin and Daniel Hathaway

Article on a recent interview with Jason Vieaux for Classical Cleveland, a weekly online journal, on how our Piazzolla project came to life. Access the interview here

Share
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Words from the Modern-Day Hot Club

Vindicating Jazz’s Most Famous Gypsy by Paul Brady

Check this article by my friend & bandmate Paul Brady in Downbeat Mag. (Jan. 2012), it’s a great piece on Django Reinhardt.



Share
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Music instructor’s life a beautiful melody

Matt Michaels, 79, may be the most beloved music instructor Detroit ever has known. He could have gone anywhere, recorded anything. The master player, sterling accompanist, and wizard at arranging and writing charts for bands and orchestras died Wednesday. Continue to full article here

I was privileged to study with Matt for a few years. He had amazing ways of breaking down jazz harmony and taught me some invaluable shortcuts and tricks on how to approach arranging and playing. Now more than ever as I mature as a musician, I realize how valuable his advices and concepts were. R.I.P. Matt. Mitch Albom did a fantastic job capturing what Matt was like, a great read on a great man!

Share
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

New CD “Piazzolla”!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internationally acclaimed guitarist Jason Vieaux teams up with Bandoneon virtuoso Julien Labro & A Far Cry chamber orchestra in these new arrangements of Astor Piazzolla masterpieces. Jason is well known for his Azica solo releases including J.S. Bach Vol. 1 and Images of Metheny (Jason’s arrangements of the music of Pat Metheny). Julien Labro has shown his versatility with jazz guitarist Frank Vignola on 100 Years of Django and the acclaimed jazz band Hot Club of Detroit. A Far Cry chamber orchestra, based in Boston, performs frequently in the greater Boston area as well as throughout the United States.

Listen to the MP3 excerpt from Verano Porteńo from the “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” by Astor  Piazzolla, arr. Julien Labro

Verano Porteno (MP3 excerpt from “Piazzolla”)

Share
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

HCOD on Dee Dee Bridgewater’s JazzSet NPR

Extract from our live performance @ the 2010 Detroit Jazz Fest.

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/18/131751957/hot-pepper-hot-club-of-detroit-on-jazzset

Share
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A bit of the Motor City and a bit of gay Paris

Check out a recent interview with Stephen Kopfinger from the Lancaster Sunday News.
Read it by following this link: A bit of the Motor City and a bit of gay Paris.

Share
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An Interesting Review from Recent Performance at the Jazz Aspen June Festival

By Stewart Oksenhorn / The Aspen Times
Review: Why jazz actually ruled at the Jazz Aspen June Festival
JULY, 8 2011 

ASPEN — I don’t generally go to music festivals looking for any big-picture messages. I go to hear the music, to take photos, to commune with people. And yes, to eat. 

But sometimes, there is a message so apparent that it can’t be ignored. Such was the case with the recent Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Festival, and the message that was shoved in the face of festivalgoers was this: It’s the jazz, stupid!

Share
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Julien Labro & Paul Brady from HCOD on Wine & Jazz Magazine (April 2011 Issue)

By Jonathan Widran

Both Labro and Brady attribute their love of wine to spending key developmental years in France. Labro grew up in Rodez, near the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region (which boasts three times the combined area of vineyards in Bordeaux) and began learning about pairing food and wine from a tender age. “I got to live the pairings and learn how the right wine can enhance a dish and bring different flavors to the palate.”  Continue to read a longer extract of the article here

TO ENJOY THIS ENTIRE ARTICLE, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO WINE AND JAZZ MAGAZINE

AprilNewCover-e1303233186168.jpg

Share
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment