Jean De Aguiar - Acoustica (2019)

The purity of the acoustic sound of the guitar, the elegance of the game, the delicacy of the touch, the sophistication of the musical development and the magical interaction of the trio. Here are all the assets of the "Acoustica" project of guitarist Jean de Aguiar with the precious collaboration of doublebass player Marc Buronfosse and drummer Arnaud Biscay (mentioning also the discreet addition of percussionist Gérard Hababou).
A long matured project that blossoms naturally in joy and Allegress like a spring flower with a delicate fragrance that opens with bewitching and intoxicating enchantment.
How can we not be seduced by this quest for the Grail, which consists of an acoustic sound research of guitar playing, linking perfection of execution with the seduction of our senses?
Jean de Aguiar, trained in classical music and a master's degree in baroque guitar, is passionate about South American music (Baden Powell, Laurindo Almeida, Egberto Gismonti), but also jazz (Jim Hall, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny) and all the music from the United States where the guitar plays a big role (folk, bluegrass, country, blues, rhythm & blues, pop, rock,...), without forgetting the music from Southern Europe dear to his heart, whether Spanish (flamenco) or Portuguese (fado).
The in-depth study of the acoustic guitar, the work on film music, and the pedagogical transmission, were not enough to fully satisfy Jean de Aguiar's musical ambition. It was therefore imperative that he make an album by playing his own compositions (with the exception of Charles Mingus' very beautiful cover of Fables Of Faubus) and putting at the centre of his music, a certain idea of how an acoustic guitar should sound, the result of a lifetime devoted to the practice of this instrument. And of course the desire to play in a group, to propose to play this music in a trio with two remarkable jazz musicians who know each other well and have an open mind.
Two remarkable technicians of their instruments (double bass and drums) who, despite their experience, have always kept intact the playful notion of collective playing, the pleasure of playing together, of listening to each other, and of interacting instantly with each other's proposals. Anglo-Saxons call it the interplay, in our country, we translate it into interaction!
Double bassist Marc Buronfosse was not chosen by chance in this project because he studied guitar before choosing double bass and was also a sound engineer and musicologist. All these ingredients can only give grain to grind to Jean de Aguiar's "Acoustica" project, especially since Marc Buronfosse is one of the most sought-after double bass players on the French jazz scene, from Bojan Z to Stéphane Guillaume, from Toufic Farroukh to Sylvain Kassap, or from Sylvain Beuf to Jacques Loussier...
Let's also mention his projects as leader, from the album "Face The Music" (2010) under the title Marc Buronfosse Sounds Quartet to the AEGN project (with drummer Arnaud Biscay).
It is no coincidence either that the drummer of "Acoustica", Arnaud Biscay, his perfect musical agreement and his complicity with Marc Buronfosse played a decisive role. He was a student of Simon Goubert and Dré Pallemaerts and now teaches at the CNSM in Paris. He has played with Bojan Z and Michel Portal and is interested in electronic music, as evidenced by his Odei project.
Once the group was formed, Jean de Aguiar only had to bring his compositions, like precious ingredients taken in hand and mixed by three great musicians and chefs, to offer us the most delicious and delicate dishes.
Terrestrial atmospheres with Spanish or Portuguese scents (Terra Umbra) happily rub shoulders with Mandela's South Africa (Madiba) and the adventure towards the great open sea carried by glyzed winds (Vientos Alisios). The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, an Antarctic specialist, is also entitled to a composition (Amundsen) and the world of sailors has also inspired The Nothern Light (the northern lighthouse). The beautiful and slow melodies of Shining Sunbeans or Mica, flirt in perfect harmony with the fluidity of Inner Sanctum and the magic of Charles Mingus' sublime cover of Fables Of Faubus.
The shimmering nylon strings of Jean de Aguiar's guitar, enhanced by the warm woody sound of Marc Buronfosse's double bass and Arnaud Biscaye's delicate and sensual skin rubbing make "Acoustica" an auditory and sensual celebration carried by a fluid and elegant narrative. Great art!