Press

	“The next accordion star…a triple threat: brilliant technician, poetic melodist and cunning arranger” –Chicago Tribune
	“An excellent soloist…This arrangement [Piazzolla] by Julien Labro for guitar, bandoneon, and strings, gets things right…The music was by turns rapid and rhythmically driving, hazy and languorous, nostalgically grand-gestured, tart and cutting. Shifting moods were sharply etched throughout” –The Boston Globe
	“…fleet fingered accordionist Julien Labro straddles the past-present fault line in particularly alluring fashion.” –Detroit Free Press
	“Calderwood Hall proved strikingly effective for this Fachwerk…Labro’s bayan reveled in the morass of orchestral and percussive textures–his deep understanding and engagement Fachwerk resulted in beautifully shaped melodic lines. Yet Fachwerk doesn’t stay close to the marmoreal soundscape: frequently the accordion descends into a shocking basal gasp—a motive portrayed by Labro as awe-inspiring, almost animal, heaving and weeping.” –The Boston Musical Intelligencer
	“Labro is a dynamic performer who took full advantage of the instrument’s expressive capabilities. The orchestra played with vigor, and Labro’s cadenzas were captivating.” –Hartford Courant
	“Labro plays the chromatic accordion with the style and verve of a rock musician…but adding a more modern, innovative touch. Who would have expected the accordion to sound so hip?” -Winnipeg Free Press
	“Accordionist Julien Labro took the stage of the Herbst Theatre on October 20 for a spectacular demonstration of how many ways their two instruments could converse, conspire, and ultimately soar with one another. Part of this year’s San Francisco Performance series, long-time collaborators Vieaux and Labro offered an all-20th-century program ranging from Bulgaria to Brazil, with each selection showcasing the palpable delight each of them takes in playing as a duo.” –San Francisco Classical Voice
	“The latest and most promising addition to this regal list is Julien Labro, whom Chicagoans have heard dispensing his wizardry in various club and concert halls but never quite the way he does in a surprisingly seductive new album, “From This Point Forward” (Azica).” –Chicago Tribune
	“…Julien Labro put on a show that was blistering in both pace and quality.” –Aspen Times
	“In the performance by master bandoneon player Julien Labro, we heard the full range of the instrument’s capabilities, from sonorous and resonant bottom to piping upper reaches, living up to its designation as “the soul of the tango and Argentina.” –Cape Cod Times
	“Anyone who has heard Jason Vieaux and Julien Labro perform live know that they have created a musical niche that is unique to them — one that is built on high artistic standards, a never-ending musical curiosity, and having fun onstage.” -Cleveland Classical
	“…where Julien Labro stole the show with his quick work on the accordion.” –ISTHMUS
	“Julien rips like you won’t believe. I was astounded by his mastery of that rather difficult instrument and by the beauty of his solo lines.”  –Keyboard Magazine
	“A-list star” –Chamber Music America
	“Julien Labro is redefining the accordion” –Revue Magazine
	“Vieaux’s and Labro’s high-energy playing perfectly captures the Tango Nuevo flavor of the Argentine masters.”-ClevelandClassical.com
	“Brilliant accordionist” –Chicago Tribune
	Labro’s virtuosity on the button accordion is matched by a dazzling creativity and a big heart, as he demonstrated in solo after solo. –Reading eagle
	“…button accordionist Julien Labro who favors the tunes with a push and a squeeze….a backdrop of sweet romantic charm rendered by Labro’s accordion.” –Modern Guitar Magazine
	“Who knew that kind of music could come from an accordion? The evening was just…just…splendid.” –San Angelo Standard Times
	“France-born Julien Labro makes a favorable impression. He has a smooth, pleasing quality to the sound of the accordion he fingers and squeezes with such nonchalant expertise.”  –Downbeat Magazine
	“…while Labro holds a chord and shakes his accordion’s bellows for all they’re worth.” –JazzTimes Magazine
	“For sheer chops, it was hard to top accordion ace Julien Labro and guitarist Olli Soikkeli, who co-led a modernist quartet…Labro and Soikkeli came out blazing” –Downbeat Magazine
	“On the original compositions, Labro’s “Sacre Bleu,” swiftly stands out, due in large part to the composer’s rhapsodic touch.” –JazzTimes
	“What accordionist Julien Labro does is fly, launching a solo that simply bubbles with joy.” –All About Jazz
	“Top Ten jazz performances of 2010….Accordionist Julien Labro knocked everybody’s socks off. –The Daily Gazette
	“Accordionist Julien Labro has something. This guy can play!! He can spin a sixteenth note line with soul and sound that can intensify.” –Cadence Magazine
	“What accordionist Julien Labro makes crystal- clear from the disc’s very first cut Django Reinhardt’s “Rhythm Futur” is that he’s a jazz improviser, not some godforsaken bit of Parisian cafe color, and he’s ready to swing the house down.” –The Buffalo News
	“Mr Labro is a gifted and charming bandoneonist. Outstanding!” –CoolCleveland.com
	“The originals are equally enjoyable. Labro’s “Sacre Bleu” is an enticing gypsy trio waltz for guitar, bass and accordion while Labro’s gently swaying “Papillion” showcases Cafagna on soprano sax and the composer’s accordion. –All About Jazz NY
	“Julien Labro steals the show with his improvisations. He is the best jazz accordionist I’ve heard since Art Van Damme, and that was, what? The late ’50s? Like Van Damme, Labro plays the instrument in a rapid, single-note style, evidently adapted from Bud Powell.”  –Fanfare Magazine
	“Labro continues to amaze. He brings a modern harmonic sophistication to traditional heart-on-your sleeve accordion/bandoneon stylings, without losing the emotional impact of the tradition.” –SEMJA
	“Julien Labro on button accordion remains faithful to the restless and sophisticated spirit of Reinhardt’s music”-All Music Guide
	“While all the cats can play, Labro stands out.” –Jazz & Blues Report
	“Django’s group sometimes included accordion, and Richard Galliano and Julien Labro have been continuing that tradition in gypsy jazz with fine results.” –Audiophile Audition
	“Labro, in particular, exhibits flair and versatility, gamboling, engaging and respirating on his accordion” –Emusic.com
	“Julien Labro is an accordion master who can make the instrument swing better than anyone” –SEMJA
	“An astounding accordion player who measures up every inch to the base group. I’ve had occasion to hear some very good squeezebox artists, but Julien Labro is in a class of his own.” –The Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange