jeudi 11 mai
23.00
Grand Auditoire
Fabrizio Cassol - sax
Michel Hatzigeorgiou - fender bass
Stéphane Galland - drums
Aka Moon
30 Years of Aka Moon
AKA MOON: AN ALWAYS VISIONARY GROUPE
With a solid base of three musicians — Stéphane Galland on drums, Michel Hatzigeorgiou on bass, and Fabrizio Cassol on saxophone — Aka Moon has gone out to meet musicians around the world, on all continents. The albums that testify to this are the memories of their encounters, and cover these travels far greater than anyone could have captured on camera. Thirty years ago, access to information was not as fluid as it is today, and Aka Moon anticipated, without being fully aware of it, what the world would become: a new era where all cultures are within reach and familiar — at least on a direct level. It is clear that multiculturalism has become mainstream. At the beginning, these intersections were still to be imagined. Aka Moon conceived these connections through hard work, with many un- knowns and risks. They first set out to discover different African and then Indian cultural veins, and the adventure never stopped: from the farthest to the closest, with trips back and forth and invita- tions. They heralded an era when the need to know and relate to the other must be the result of thorough work. The quality of the process is as essential as the outcome.
EN
Stephane Galland
His appearance at countless albums and tours holds evidence for Galland’s inmeasurable experience within variousmusic scenes. His collaborations transcend multiple genres: from Oumou Sangaré to David Linx, from Doudou N’Diaye Rose to Joe Lovano, from Toots Thielemans to Philip Catherine and even to theatre & dance projects. In 2011 he launched his own project 'LOBI', in which he - together with Tigran Hamasiyan, Magic Malik, Petar Ralchev, Misirli Ahmet and Carles Benavent - researches antique musical traditions framed in a contemporary approach. Since 2014 he performs regularly with Ibrahim Maalouf. In 2018, he started another project of his own: the Mystery of KEM.
Fabrizio Cassol
Fabrizio Cassol is the composer and saxophone player of Aka Moon for more than 25 years. He worked with choreographers Alain Platel (Coup Fatal, VSPRS, Pitié!, Uit De Bol), Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Lemi Ponifasio and Faustin Linyekula, with composer Philippe Boesmans and with opera & theatre director Luc Bondy (TJ Stan). His interest in extra-european music arose from his visit to the Aka Pygmies (The Republic of Central Africa) in 1992 resulting in his examination of the link between orality and musical transcription. This passion is demonstrated in numerous collaborations & projects like with Oumou Sangare, Baba Sissoko, U.K. Sivaraman and Doudou N'Diaye Rose and in AlefBa & Aka Balkan Moon.With Dj Grazzhoppa he created the very first bigband consisting of 14 DJs and together with instrument builder François Louis he invented the concept of the Aulochrome, the first chromatic polyphonic wind instrument.
Michel Hatzigeorgiou
Before he discovered the electric guitar, Michel first started practicing the mandolin and bouzouki. Not long after that, he assured a spot as bass player in the band of Carolo Samayana. He accompanied numerous renowned singers as Plastic Bertrand, Mino & Renaud and explored jazz along the way. In 1983, Michel joined the quartet of Toots Thielemans and met bass player Jaco Pastorius, who, together Jimi Hendrix, would become one of his biggest inspirations. Next, he played with guitar player Mike Stern, participated in the Baldwin Project of David Linx and formed the band Nasa Na with Pierre Vandormael, Stéphane Galland & Fabrizio Cassol, which would become Aka Moon later on. In 1998 he was proclaimed as best electric bass player in Europe. Besides his many musical experiences, the bass player also worked with choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and with composer Philippe Boesmans (opera Wintermärchen).
DE
Alles fing vor über dreißig Jahren mit einer soliden Basis von drei Musikern an. Stéphane Galland am Schlagzeug, Michel Hatzigeorgiou am Bass und Fabrizio Cassol am Saxofon. Das ist die Geschichte von Aka Moon.
