'JJ Chardeau' is a French author, composer, and performer who, for more than thirty years, has occupied a special place in the French musical landscape, far removed from the few artists who make the buzz, under the infusion of a few record companies. Indeed, completely quirky and keeping all his creative freedom since his first album 'Escales' from 1989 which is available for download here, he has released around ten albums plus a DVD (see his page discographie'). Always surrounded by talented artists and coming from very diverse musical backgrounds, his latest album which is the second part of In Terra Cognita' is now available since mid-July 2023.
And if we look at the line up of this latest album (see here), one cannot help being impressed by this long list which goes from 'John Helliwell' ('Supertramp') to the 'Decamps' family Father and Son ('Ange') via 'Pat Mastelotto' ('King Crimson') or 'Eric Troyer' ('Electric Light Orchestra') or even 'Jason Scheff' ('Chicago') but also jazz or classical music artists such as the Saxophonist 'Stéphane Guillaume' or the trumpeter 'Tom Bergeron'. With 14 compositions, we embark on a very diversified musical journey and it would be very difficult to give a very precise style because it mixes different influences ranging from classical music to progressive rock with incursions into jazz and contemporary music, given the theme which is based on the continuation of his musical world tour, we are also embarked on different musical landscapes specific to each country highlighted, which ultimately makes it, like a 'Steve Hackett', a world music album. To do a title as a title would require a much too long and certainly boring chronicle and, I will limit myself to a few passages which gave me great listening pleasure: the male choirs in 'Donibane Lohitzun', the very contemporary passage with strings in 'Iceland & Fire', 'Scandinavia' with its rhythmic alternations and its remarkable instrumental accompaniments, the swing of 'Swing Hell' with its magnificent vocal arrangements (Christian & Tristan Décamps obviously have a lot to do with it) or even the long melancholic development 'Seborga' which gains momentum for a dazzling finale, the album ending with the joyful Sirtaki 'Edossa Fakelaki' which sends us straight from Greece bright rays of sunshine.
In summary, this very eclectic album by 'Jean-Jacques Chardeau' shows the full extent of the talent of the Frenchman who takes us on a very beautiful musical journey with artists of talented instrumentalists and vocalists who magnify all these compositions of world music and the two parts of 'Terra Incognita' which are very accessible, should appeal to a wide audience who love the meeting of different styles of music... | |
