Oboman - Flea Market (2018)

Jean-Luc Fillon :
Oboman… the oboe of all music

Jean-Luc Fillon studied classical music and oboe at national academies of Aubervilliers and Versailles and then at l'Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris. During this period he was the laureate of the San Sebastian chamber music international competition and studied improvisation and composition at the Centre d’informations musicales (Jazz and Contemporary music in Paris).
From 1987 to 1991, he was oboe soloist in the European Symphonic Orchestra. After 1991, he conducted the Jazzogène Orchestra with which he recorded several CDs and played as a soloist with Antoine Hervé, Lauren Newton, Claudio Pontiggia and Franck Tortillier. It was his first main jazz experience. He went on tour in many festivals and parisian jazz clubs with this orchestra. In 1996, he created the Coyoakan trio (trio world jazz) and the Alborada sextuor (world music). In 1998 during a tour, Bob Mintzer was charmed by Fillon's oboe tone and encouraged Jean-Luc Fillon to develop a systematic work on the oboe and English horn improvisation. In fact, before 1998 Jean-Luc Fillon used these instruments mainly in classical and contemporary music. In 2000, Bob Mintzer composed for him a piece called French Suite. During this period, he also met Nguyên Lê, Pierre Blanchard, Lauren Newton, Claudio Pontiggia, Yves Torchinsky, Pierre-Marie Bonafos.
Since 2001, Jean-Luc Fillon’s began writing numerous compositions in order to introduce the oboe and English horn’s originality in improvisation (selected at the European audition of the Paolo Damiani National Jazz Orchestra, recording of several radio broadcast on France Musiques, creation of Ad Lib Production). In September 2001 he was nominated Jazz teacher at the national academy of Cergy-Pontoise. In early 2002, he recorded his own oboe and English horn composition with Denis Leloup, Pierre Blanchard and Joël Grare. He also recorded with Pierre-Stéphane Michel in the pSM trio, with Joël Grare on drums. From September 2002, Jean-Luc Fillon played in Paris with João Paulo and Denis Leloup. In 2003, the releasing of Oboa on CD was a success. He was invited by Glenn Ferris to join the "Newance quartet" with Jeff Boudreaux and Michel Bénita.
In 2004, he created the "De L'air quartet" with Carole Hémard, Yves Torchinsky et Xavier Dessandre, and recorded "Flea Market". He went on tour in Portugal with João Paulo. In 2005, after a tour in Germany, Jean-Luc Fillon went to USA. He played with two jazz bassoonists: Paul Hanson and Michael Rabinowitz. In October, he was invited by Xavier Prévost to play on Radio France. In early 2006, he created Privé de Désert in the frame of the Les Mureaux jazz festival "Ca Va Jazzer". He recorded a new album (Echoes Of Ellington) on Ellington tunes in order to pay tribute to this great musician and give a new perspective on his works.
In 2007, he went on tour in USA with Michael Rabinowitz and the Devil Reeds with a concert in New York. At the same period, he began a residence during two years and a half at L’Onde, the cultural place in Vélizy, France. He created the Oborigins project with Michel Godard, João Paulo and Jarrod Cagwin. Finally he went on tour in Germany and recorded at the Deutschland Radio in Cologne with the Oboa trio. In 2008, he created the On The Reed...Again ! quintet with Michael Rabinowitz. In November, he came out the Oborigins album, elected album of the week on FIP (Radio-Jazz). He also created Hautbois Nomade with the National French Orchestra in closure of the Vélizy’s residence.
2009 : in March, release of the album “On the Reed…Again!” with a concert at the New-Morning in Paris.
JLuc Fillon was invited by Claude Barthélémy to participate in a new project “Lieder”. Antoine Hervé invited him to participate in the radio programme “Cabaret Music” live on France Music radio station.
In the same year, he set up the Sons neufs festival in Paris, devoted to instruments that are least likely to be used in improvisation and jazz. Moreover, he set up a duet with the accordionist, Didier Ithursarry and explored the blend of the oboe’s tones with those of the accordion.
2010 : Martial Solal asked him to accompany the finalists of the Martial Solal International Competition for jazz piano. The Adiam 94 commissioned two original works for “The Blue Note Orchestra” of Bry-sur-Marne, directed by Heri Paredes.
In 2011, Jean-Luc Fillon gave jazz improvisation master classes at the CNSMD in Lyon… He also created several new projects with François Méchali and Barry Altschul (the trio “Echoes of Freedom”) with the Basse-Normandie Ensemble (project “Oboa Nomade”) and began a series of concerts, including the highly esteemed “An eyeful of Jazz” at the theatre in Poissy, which was broadcast live during the Jazz Club on France Music. He was also invited to the programme “The Morning of Musicians” on France Music.
In 2012, he invited the American violinist, Mark Feldman, to join his trio “Echoes of Freedom” and the concert that they gave at the St Germain auditorium was recorded by Ivan Amar for the “Jazz Club” on France Music.
This year was also marked by the excellent reception from the media of his new album “Oboréades” on which he worked with the accordionist Didier Ithursarry. This recording was made following a number of concerts in France and Germany (Paris Jazz Festival, Festival Bouteille en Bretelles, Jazz-SyndikatSaarbrücken…).
In 2013, Jean-Luc Fillon continued his creations with the release of the album “Choros do Brasil”, accompanied by the Brazilian virtuosos Eduardo Miranda and Tuniko Goulart. The album was chosen by FIP (French radio station) as the album of the week.
He was also invited to Portugal by several universities and musical academies to give master classes in improvisation to student oboists.
In the same year, the international competition of Oboe and Bassoon of Muri (Zurich) gave Jean-Luc the possibility to give an evening of music, where he chose to give a concert with two duets: the first with the pianist Joao Paulo, the second with the accordionist Didier Ithursarry.
On his return to France, he was invited by Xavier Prévost of France Music radio station to give a representation of “Echoes of Freedom” which he presented as a trio with the drummer Barry Altschum and the double bass player François Méchali during the programme “Jazz sur le Vif”.
In 2014, he recorded “Echoes of Freedom” as a quartet with Mark Feldman, François Méchali and François Merville and the group gave a series of concerts.
He spent some time in New York, giving masterclasses and concerts. He performed in particular with the pianists Don Friedman and the spirited Vadim Neselovskyi. In October, he released his new work “Oboman plays Cole Porter”, his first album to be distributed in the USA. A great concert was given at the New Morning (Paris) on this occasion with Christian Escoudé as guest star.
The end of 2014 was also marked by the creation, within the Sons 9 festival, of the duo “Late ‘Trane”with Paul Hanson, and a promising encounter with the guitarist Enver Izlmaylov.
Finally, it was also the beginning of the filming by Pirouette Production of the documentary “Obomania”, on the life and works of Jean-Luc Oboman Fillon…

01 - Flea Market
02 - Far and Wide
03 - Upside Down
04 - Rouïane
05 - One to One
06 - La peau
07 - Vice et versa
08 - Fatima, Pt. 1
09 - Fatima, Pt. 2
10 - Jadis et naguère
11 - Les prisons de Nantes
12 - Agitato