Jacques Schwarz-Bart - Soné Ka-La 2 (Odyssey) (2020) [Hi-Res]

Jacques Schwarz-Bart has been at the center of several musical revolutions: neo soul next to Dangelo and Erika Badu, New Jazz as a founding member of Roy Hargrove RH Factor. He outright created two surging new styles: Gwoka Jazz, and Voodoo jazz, reuniting jazz music with its Afro-Caribbean and spiritual origins. Jacques impressionistic writing, powerful tone, and wide-ranging language both lyrical and angular have fueled a growing presence on the world stage. Sone Ka-La 2-Odyssey, Foreword The original Sone Ka-La came out in 2005. The band toured nearly 30 countries, and inspired many young musicians from Europe, the Caribbeans, the US and even Japan. After creating Sone Ka-la, like Ulysses, Jacques Schwarz-Bart left his island to explore different worlds and realities. Hence the subtitle: Odyssey. 15 years later, he is back to his Ithaca, his musical landscape of Guadeloupe, with a new vision of the original concept. Sone Ka La 2 Odysseys main innovation is to fuse the singing and the saxophone into one voice, carrying the melodies, might they be tumultuous, angular, mysterious or serene. It is the first jazz project with such trademark. Secondly, instead of 2 Gwoka Drums, one of the Gwoka masters plays the drums, transferring the traditional language to a modern instrument. Finally, there are more contemporary sounds throughout, from the keyboards, the frequent presence of electric bass, and generous use of effect pedals on the saxophone. With the rich experience from his Odyssey, JSB plants his feet firmly into the musical ground he forged years ago, to propulse his creative mind further than ever before.

Malika Tirolien – voice / Jacques Schwarz-Bart – saxophones / Grégory Privat – piano / Reggie Washington – bass / Arnaud Dolmen – drums / Sonny Troupé – ka drum