"Impression Stream" project
"IMPRESSION STREAM
A new 12-track album:
a subtle blend of jazz improvisation and Impressionist music.
Published November 1st, 2024
On the Incises label (distr. OutHere)
Stéphane GUILLAUME: Soprano Saxophone
Sedef ERÇETIN: Cello
Maria PAPAPETROPOULOU: Piano
Antoine BANVILLE: Percussions
Paul Hanson: Basson (guest on 6)
For several years now, I've been looking for a project with the Stamboulian cellist Sedef Erçetin, whom I met some fifteen years ago on the French scene.
I chose the most emblematic chamber music formation, the piano trio, to subtly cross our universes, occupying the place of the violin with my soprano saxophone.
Inviting Athenian pianist Maria Papapetropoulou to join this experiment was an obvious choice. Indeed, Sedef and Maria have a great musical complicity which has been illustrated in the “Metamorphosis” duo for over twenty years, a duo for which I wrote a special piece for cello and piano a few years ago, a composition which undoubtedly prefigures the desire to push further the specific writing for these instruments.
For this formation, the mission is to combine the impressionistic and intimate aspect of chamber music with the language of a jazz soloist; so we had to add a more rhythmic element with percussion that subtly colors the intimate atmospheres while proposing singular paths for the improvising soloists. Percussionist Antoine Banville has been a friend and companion for many years: he is the drummer in my quartet, with whom we have recorded many albums. His deep understanding of the intricacies of my writing made him a natural choice for this project.
With this ensemble, I'm trying to offer a fine combination of these two universes that fascinate me and in which I like to lose myself. While remaining faithful to my own harmonic universe and to the role of improvisation in my writing, the repertoire gives pride of place to original compositions, conceived for the musical singularities of each of the quartet's members. These creations can sometimes be mixed with revisited repertory works, and why not tinted here and there with world influences (Mediterranean, South America...) to invite the listener to travel a little further.
Stéphane Guillaume
"Impression Stream" 4tet, le nouveau projet de Stéphane Guillaume
YEDI - Stéphane Guillaume & Impression Stream 4tet
HABANERA - Stéphane Guillaume & "Impression Stream" 4tet
Stéphane Guillaume, Sedef Erçetin, Maria Papapetropoulou, Antoine Banville - © photo : Tom Spianti
THE MUSICIANS
Stéphane Guillaume (saxophone): Stéphane began rubbing shoulders with the world of jazz musicians at the age of 17, when he won 1st prize in classical saxophone at the Paris Conservatoire. He celebrated his 20th birthday on tour with Laurent Cugny's Orchestre National de Jazz in 1994.
Now a sought-after sideman, he went on to take part in numerous projects, notably alongside Patrice Caratini, Claude Nougaro, Didier Lockwood, the Paris Jazz Big Band, Peter Erskine, Vince Mendoza and others.
Of course, he has not neglected his career as a leader and composer, releasing 5 albums under his own name.
In 2009, the Académie du Jazz awarded him the prestigious 'Django Reinhardt' prize for best French jazz artist, as well as the prize for best French jazz album for 'Windmills Chronicles'.
Stéphane has been teaching saxophone, flute and arranging at the C(entre) des M(usiques) D(idier) L(ockwood) for many years. He also directs the student Big Ban.
© photo : Gerard de Haro
© photo : Patrick Guilfoyle
Sedef Erçetin (cello): Sedef was born in Istanbul. She began her musical education on the piano at the age of 5. After studying in the cello class at the State Conservatory of Istanbul University, she moved to Paris and entered the advanced cycle at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, where she obtained the Diplôme d'Exécution, the Diplôme d'Enseignement and the Diplôme de Musique de Chambre with special mention from the Jury.
She has attended masterclasses with many international soloists, including Geneviève Teulière, Raphaël Sommer, Hugh McKenzie and Boris Baraz.
During her stay in Paris, she recorded the Bach suites, and developed her solo career with a number of major European orchestras, as well as with the duo she formed with the Greek pianist Maria Papapedropoulou.
In 1999, she was awarded the 'Abdi-Itekçi' prize for peace and Turkish-Greek friendship.
At the same time, Sedef has been involved in a wide variety of styles, including tango and South American music (with the Gotan Trio, Gerardo di Guisto, etc.), improvisation and jazz (with Liz McComb, Florin Niculescu, Christian Escoudé, Kerem Görsev, etc.).
Maria Papapetropoulou (piano): She studied piano at the Athenaeum Conservatory with Popi Michailidou and graduated from the Nikos Skalkottas Conservatory with unanimous first prize.
After studying at both the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Musique de Paris and the Conservatoire National d'Orléans, she won the Onassis scholarship and continued her studies in vocal accompaniment at the University of Karlsruhe. She obtained her master's degree with honours.
Maria has worked as a soloist with the Athens National Orchestra and the Orchestra of Colours (Greece) as well as the Ryazan Philharmonic Orchestra (Russia) and the Münster Youth Orchestra (Germany).
Maria has made recordings for Greek national radio with the National Ensemble of Modern Music conducted by Theodore Antoniou.
She has given numerous recitals and appeared in many chamber music concerts in Greece, France, Italy and Turkey.
She currently teaches accompaniment and chamber music at the Kalamata Conservatory.
© photo : Gerard de Haro
© photo : Gerard de Haro
Antoine Banville (percussion): Antoine Banville has contributed to the development of numerous projects through his artistic demands, imposing a constant listening and musical exchange. As a result, he is regularly acclaimed, even very recently, by a wide range of critics, from Classical Music ("Choc Classica", November 2021) to Jazz ("Elected" by Citizen Jazz, February 2022).
His talent as a drummer and percussionist has led him to take part in a wide range of projects, including Stéphane Guillaume's Quartet, Maciek Pysz's French Quartet, Olivier Calmel's Double-Celli and J.P. Viret's Trio.
He is an unrivalled rhythm player and an outstanding interpreter of repertory music.
His taste for rhythms from all over the world has led him to play with musicians from all over the world, including Teofilo Chantre (Cape Verde), Hocine Boukella (Algeria), Daniel Lavoie (Quebec), René Aubry (France), Leïti M'Baye (Senegal) and Lena Shamamyan (Syria).
Antoine Banville has also worked with a number of choreographers, including Pierre Doussaint, Serge Ricci, Olivia Granville and Carolyn Carlson.
Poetry, dance and music are his starting points and sources of inspiration.
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