Jeanfrançois Prins "Blue Note Mode (GAM 925)
Jeanfrançois Prins guitar (vocals on one track), Danny Grissett piano, Jay Anderson double bass, and E.J. Strickland drums, plus two guests on some tracks: Jeremy Pelt trumpet, and Jaleel Shaw alto sax
Having spent most of his career between New York City and Berlin, working and recording with the cream of American and European jazz, Belgium's most international guitarist recently returned to his roots - Brussels - with a suitcase full of experience and inspiration.
After the immobility imposed by the pandemic, it was important for Jeanfrançois Prins to reconnect with his New York scene. He had often been recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in his legendary studio, and wanted to return there to record his new opus. In this sacred place, he met with a group of exceptional artists to create together a music of today, yet deeply imbued with the spirit of the countless masterpieces recorded there over the years on the Blue Note, Impulse, Prestige, Verve and CTI labels. The "Blue Note Mode" describes a state of mind in which musicians focus on the purity of their expression, making no artistic concessions, while maintaining an emphasis on groove, strong blues-infused melodies and ubiquitous interaction.
What they’re saying about "Blue Note Mode" (GAM 925):
★★★★★ "The 12 tracks radiate a powerful and positive energy. Epic!" inMusic
Downbeat’s Editor’s Pick ★★★★1/2 “There's a certain lenticular-image nature to Blue Note Mode. Examined from one angle, it’s a hard bop record: full of swing and the blues, hot, wailing horns and the liquid clarity of Prins’ guitar tone. Approached from another angle, though, it’s an exploratory, post-bop album with unconventional forms and shifting time-feels and standards refit with hip-hoppish rhythms. Never, though, does that dichotomy feel forced, or bipolar. It's all a beautifully cohesive tapestry. Prins can generate serious electricity, then surprises with a sweet crooning vocal. It's a beautiful moment that renders pop-or-art identities irrelevant.” Michael J. West - Downbeat Magazine
★★★★ "There are two main guidelines for this music. First, the sound, and it is magnificent. Then there's the homogeneity of this group of artists: they may each have a blast playing stunning solos, but it's their cohesion, their interactivity, their osmosis which shine through." MAD - Le Soir
★★★★ “Jeanfrançois Prins delivers an inspired album that goes beyond the usual albums of this kind. He explores the Blue Note spirit through his guitar playing that borrows not only from his American mentor Jim Hall, but also from the Belgian school of jazz, and lives up to the mythical label.” JAZZ MAGAZINE
"Prins’ potent, clean-toned, clean-burning guitar is bolstered by solid work from his guests... Serious jazz-making and affectionate jazz lore adorn these tracks. The spirit underscoring the music is something at once nostalgic and new — a suitable modus operandi and mantra of jazz at its core." JAZZIZ
“It is fair to say that at the helm of this playful sextet, Jeanfrançois Prins has not only delivered his best album to date, but has also pulled off a genuine masterstroke.” Pierre Dulieu - Jazzmania
“Blue Note Mode is a superb nod to tradition, with the resplendent sheen of the brand new.” Making a Scene
“This pulsation that runs Blue Note Mode through and through is that of hearts beating very hard for a musical cause whose flame, so beautiful, must be kept alive with love, whatever the cost. This is a very beautiful declaration.” Citizen Jazz
- Released : 01/03/2024
- Reference : GAM 925
- Supports : CD, digital
- Label : GAM RECORDS
