Jacques Schwarz-bart at The Jazz Gallery

The Harlem suite is a childhood dream of coming to NY from my little island of Guadeloupe, and becoming a jazz musician. The tunes and arrangements were written to celebrate each step on this perilous but rewarding journey, during the 20 years spent in this iconic part of New York. The compositions reflect the musical wisdom I inherited from playing with some of the greatest musicians of our time: Roy Hargrove’s beautiful sound and impeccable phrasing, D’Angelo’s visionary grooves and unique intensity, Meshell Ndegeocello’s sense of mystery and poetry.
Many of the songs are inspired by the harsh human reality reflected in the disenfranchised lives of Black people in urban environments, while paying tribute to Harlem’s history as the birth place of several musical revolutions. ...

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The Harlem suite is a childhood dream of coming to NY from my little island of Guadeloupe, and becoming a jazz musician. The tunes and arrangements were written to celebrate each step on this perilous but rewarding journey, during the 20 years spent in this iconic part of New York. The compositions reflect the musical wisdom I inherited from playing with some of the greatest musicians of our time: Roy Hargrove’s beautiful sound and impeccable phrasing, D’Angelo’s visionary grooves and unique intensity, Meshell Ndegeocello’s sense of mystery and poetry.
Many of the songs are inspired by the harsh human reality reflected in the disenfranchised lives of Black people in urban environments, while paying tribute to Harlem’s history as the birth place of several musical revolutions.
In contrast with most of my previous work, this opus is not rooted in Afro Caribbean grooves. It nevertheless bares the mark of polyrhythms in dialogue with lyrical melodies, while embracing the aesthetics of American modern jazz, including its most recent mix of hip hop grooves and improvisation.
Throughout this record, I aspired to paint a modern fresque rich in colors, while staying true to the African tradition of music as a source of healing and spiritual uplifting.

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