| Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre |
| Date & Hour: , Sunday 4th May, 8pm |
| Line Up: Franck Tortiller (vibraphone, arrangements, direction); Thierry Bonneaux(vibraphone, marimba); Patrice Héral (percussion, voice); David Pouradier Duteil (drums); Yves Torchinsky (bass); Jean Gobinet (trumpet); Eric Séva (saxophones); Jean-Louis Pommier (trombone); Michel Marre (tuba). Guest artist : Xavier Garcia (keyboards, samplers). |
Amongst the great and venerated institutions of French jazz, Orchestra National du Jazz (ONJ) have acted as ambassadors for their country’s strong jazz tradition for more than 20 years.
Brilliant and imaginative players in their own right, current director Franck Tortiller brings to Bray ‘Close to Heaven’, a remarkable musical tribute to Led Zeppelin, one of the legendary rock groups of the 1970s.
Famous for their collective improvisations and complex compositions, Led Zeppelin get the improvisational jazz treatment, courtesy of some of France's greatest jazz improvisers.
The ONJ director says of 'Close to Heaven' that 'Led Zeppelin were one of the greatest and most influential groups in the history of rock, and the modernity of their music remains unequalled'.
Tortiller's arrangements are the big draw, and the detail rendered unto “Stairway to Heaven,” that most totemic of Zep tunes, is something to behold. Ten minutes of “Stairway” are preceded by two original preludes, one for vibraphones, the second for brass choir.
The slow beginning of ”Stairway” proper somehow manages to echo “'Round Midnight,” with the remarkably supple tuba playing of Michel.
Other unique readings from the Led Zeppelin ouvre to be given the ONJ treatment including jazz big band readings of “Black Dog,” “Dazed and Confused” and “Kashmir,” as well as a handful of brief and lyrical originals based on Zep themes - with the musicians adding layers to the audio sampling of guest player Xavier Garcia.
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