Sound Architects Stéphane Kerecki Trio

• 1 Snapshot 1 01:34
• 2 Serbian Folk Song 06:40
• 3 Le scaphandre et le papillon 04:59
• 4 Sound Architects 06:54
• 5 Snapshot 2 01:30
• 6 Lunatic 05:48
• 7 Song for Anna 06:36
• 8 Kung Fu 04:45
• 9 Snapshot 3 01:21
• 10 La source 07:36
• 11 Bass Prayer 04:31
• 12 Fandango 03:13
• Total Runtime 55:27

Info for Sound Architects

Turning his back on the trendy tune, Stéphane Kerecki inscribes his artistic approach over the long term. Since 2003, combining change and continuity, the bass player has relied on two talented musicians of his generation: Thomas Grimmonprez (drums) and Matthieu Donarier (tenor and soprano saxophones).

For this project, Kerecki has expanded his trio to a quintet with two major voices in contemporary jazz: saxophonist Tony Malaby, already his accomplice on Houria (Zig-Zag Territoires, 2009), and pianist Bojan Z, with whom he has many things in common, in particular their Serbian origin. Harmony manifested itself between the five musicians from the first rehearsals prior to recording in January 2012: 'I was stupefied,' confesses Stéphane Kerecki, 'by the way in which, without necessarily talking too much, each one contributed a stone to the edifice.' It appeared natural to choose a composition by Stéphane as the album title: 'Sound Architects'.

Out of the twelve tracks, Stéphane (alone or in collaboration) wrote eleven of them, the twelfth being a Serbian folk tune. In solo or at the head of the group, in the little pieces (the three 'Snapshots' lasting barely a minute) as in the collective performances, the leader makes his double bass speak nicely, including with the bow. To this elegant spareness respond Tony Malaby's density and Matthieu Donarier's lightness, both alternating on tenor and soprano, and Bojan Z's incisive lyricism.

'His total instrumental mastery and sound organizational intelligence, avoiding the double bass ghetto-clichés (strict functionality 'discreet but effective' and/or solos-demonstrations rituals), enable him to impose himself in an ensemble simultaneously as a major voice (with beautiful and dense sound), composer and arranger, and, without any exhibitionism, a melodic-harmonic axis' (Philippe Carles - The New Dictionary of Jazz)

Stéphane Kerecki, double Bass (left channel)
Tony Malaby, tenor & soprano saxophones (right channel)
Bojan Z, piano & fender rhodes
Matthieu Donarier, tenor & soprano saxophones
Thomas Grimmonprez, drums

Stéphane Kerecki
was born in Paris in 1970. After his studies in Economics, he entered the Paris National Conservatory of Music and Dance (CNSMDP) where he studied double bass with Jean-François Jenny-Clark, Riccardo Del Fra and Jean Paul Celea. At the same time, he joined Steve Potts’s quartet and became a member of the Paris Jazz Big Band.

Stéphane made a name for himself by playing in the bands of Denis Colin, Guillaume de Chassy, Yaron Herman, Daniel Humair, François Jeanneau, Sheila Jordan, Steve Lehman, Ronnie Lynn Patterson, Michel Portal, Thomas Savy, Jacky Terrasson…

He has also won numerous awards including First Prize from CNSMDP, and Second Prize for Best Soloist in the International Jazz Competition in Paris La Defense in 2001 (only bass player awarded). In 2005, the magazine Jazzman counted him among the "125 talents of tomorrow".

Since 2003, he's been leading his own trio, with saxophonist Matthieu Donarier and drummer Thomas Grimmonprez. He made two CDs with the trio: “Story Tellers” and “Focus Danse”. These recordings received many awards, including the Grand Prix 2007 de l’Académie Charles Cros, Disque d’Emoi de l’année 2007 (Jazz Magazine), Choc du Monde de la Musique…

For the third opus of the trio, "Houria", the american saxophonist Tony Malaby (Charlie Haden, Paul Motian, Daniel Humair, Michel Portal…) was invited to join the band. This CD was nominated for the French awards "Victoires du Jazz 2009" in the "Instrumental Revelation" category, and received strong support from the jazz community.

In 2010, Stéphane continued his work with the French label “Zig-Zag Territories”, recording the CD "Patience" with the English pianist John Taylor (Kenny Wheeler, John Surman, Jan Garbarek, Miroslav Vitous, Peter Erskine…). This CD was unanimously praised by critics and received the award "CHOC of the Year 2011" from Jazz Magazine / JAZZMAN.

In 2012, Stéphane Kerecki recorded his latest trio album, "Sound Architects", with two invited guests: saxophonist Tony Malaby and Serbian pianist Bojan Z (Michel Portal, Henri Texier, Julien Lourau ...) for the label Outnote/Outhere. This disc was highly acclaimed by the press ("Indispensable": JAZZ NEWS, "Selection": SO JAZZ, "ELU": citizen Jazz, "MUST": TSF…) and was selected amongst the three best jazz albums of 2012 in the newspaper "Liberation".

Currently, February 2013, Stéphane has been nominated as one of three finalists for the Django Reinhard Prize (French musician of the year) for the French "Académie du Jazz."

Booklet for Sound Architects