African Rhapsody

Description

Winner of the Django Reinhardt Prize 2022 from the Academie du Jazz and named Artist of the Year, French-Mauritanian pianist, conductor, and composer Leila Olivesi pays tribute to a poetic and imagined Africa with her album African Rhapsody. Performed by an octet featuring some of the finest musicians of her generation, Olivesi's compositions craft vast musical landscapes, journeying from the light of the Sahara to the urban pulse of New York, weaving connections between Africa, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean.

Born Normandy to a Mauritanian father and a Corsican mother, Leila Olivesi grew up in an artistic and cosmopolitan environment, immersed in the sounds of Astor Piazzolla's bandoneon, the voice of Nina Simone, and the music of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. She first tasted the joys of performance aged thirteen as part of the P'tits Loups du Jazz troupe. Leila holds a doctorate in music and musicology, as well as a degree in philosophy from the Sorbonne. Her formal training includes studies in jazz piano, composition, and orchestration. One of her tutors was renowned pianist and former Art Blakey Messenger, Mulgrew Miller.

Quotes:

"Fully contemporary acoustic jazz at the highest level, with brilliant musicians who interpret and breathe her musical visions into life." - Geoffrey Keezer (pianist, composer)

"Leila Olivesi ranks alongside the greats -- Mary Lou Williams, Carla Bley, Maria Schneider." - Le Monde

Leila Olivesi: piano
Baptiste Herbin: alto saxophone
Adrien Sanchez: tenor saxophone
Jean-Charles Richard: baritone & soprano saxophones
Quentin Ghomari: trumpet
Manu Codjia: guitar
Yoni Zelnik: bass
Donald Kontomanou - drums
Guest : Camille Bertault - vocals (tracks 4 and 7 only), Poetic Birds Ensemble - vocals (tracks 8 - 11)

All composition by Leila Olivesi except: 'Little African Flower' by Duke Ellington, and 'Aurore' by L. Olivesi & D. Kontomanou.