Martial Solal, family and friends

[brownie]

Planning to go to the special evening with Martial Solal, family and friends next Thursday at the Paris Jewish Art & History Museum, in the heart of the Marais district.

Should be interesting!

http://www.mahj.org/fr/02_en_ce_moment/concerts.php

[AllenLowe]

is Solal Jewish?

[AllenLowe]

is the Pope Catholic?

[brownie]

You mean the Pope is not jewish ? ?

[AllenLowe]

well, he DOES shit in the woods -

[birdanddizzy]

Reservation closed !!!

Zut, c'est complet...!

[AllenLowe]

actually, I WAS wondering - is Solal Jewish?

[brownie]

Oh yes, Martial Solal is Jewish. A non-believing Jew.

He was born in a sepharadic jewish family in Algeria when it was French. Did not care about the jewish or arab music that was played in his family when he was a child and prefered jazz.

Solal is a pretty common name among sepharadic Jews from North Africa. The great jewish writer Albert Cohen wrote 'Solal', one of his best novels.

[AllenLowe]

thanks, Brownie - I can contact you off-line for this, but do you have contact info for him, or do you know him personally?

thanks!

[brownie]

Managed to get to the Martial Solal evening at the Paris Jewish Art and History Museumlast night.

Despite the fact that the concert had barely been publisided except to Museum habitués, the concert hall was filled to capacity.

It turned out to be a memorable evening which ended with Martial Solal performing solo for a one-hour concert that was a bit short in length but was incredibly filled with talent!

The evening started with a vocal and saxophone duo of Martial's daughter Claudia and Jean-Claude Richard alternating on baritone and soprano saxophone (shades of Steve Lacy and Irene Aebi!). Though I can admire Claudia Solal's rather abstract vocalizing, I must admit I was not really moved by the duo.

Second part of the concert was another duo: pianist Manuel Rocheman and opera singer (and a devoted jazz fan) Laurent Naouri. Another singer with remarkable technique but too little feeling for jazz singing. Rocheman, a Solal disciple working his personal way, provided superb and intelligent accompanying. He had a chance to display his solo talent on 'On Green Dolphin Street'. Must have been quite hard on him to come to the stage before Solal!

Then it was Martial Solal's turn. I had not heard him live in too long a time. Always modest and making good use of his personal sense of humor.

Solal who will turn 80 next year mesmerized with his tehnique. Playing with the stamina of a young man, he kept pushing through with a flow of ideas that were bursting out of his head and fingers in an astonishing display of musical pyrotechnics.

Solal went backstage to bring back his daughter for a final duo that consisted of two Monk tunes ('Monk's Dream' and 'Ask Me Now'). Claudia did wonders on those two to her father's accompanying.

The concert ended with Claudia happily pointing to her father with a loud and proud 'Mon père!'. Martial's answer 'Ma fille' was inaudible from the ever modest and obviously delighted father!

I left the hall promising myself not to miss any further Solal concerts!

The man is a national treasure!

[Clunky]

Managed to get to the Martial Solal evening at the Paris Jewish Art and History Museumlast night.

Despite the fact that the concert had barely been publisided except to Museum habitués, the concert hall was filled to capacity.

It turned out to be a memorable evening which ended with Martial Solal performing solo for a one-hour concert that was a bit short in length but was incredibly filled with talent!

The evening started with a vocal and saxophone duo of Martial's daughter Claudia and Jean-Claude Richard alternating on baritone and soprano saxophone (shades of Steve Lacy and Irene Aebi!). Though I can admire Claudia Solal's rather abstract vocalizing, I must admit I was not really moved by the duo.

Second part of the concert was another duo: pianist Manuel Rocheman and opera singer (and a devoted jazz fan) Laurent Naouri. Another singer with remarkable technique but too little feeling for jazz singing. Rocheman, a Solal disciple working his personal way, provided superb and intelligent accompanying. He had a chance to display his solo talent on 'On Green Dolphin Street'. Must have been quite hard on him to come to the stage before Solal!

Then it was Martial Solal's turn. I had not heard him live in too long a time. Always modest and making good use of his personal sense of humor.

Solal who will turn 80 next year mesmerized with his tehnique. Playing with the stamina of a young man, he kept pushing through with a flow of ideas that were bursting out of his head and fingers in an astonishing display of musical pyrotechnics.

Solal went backstage to bring back his daughter for a final duo that consisted of two Monk tunes ('Monk's Dream' and 'Ask Me Now'). Claudia did wonders on those two to her father's accompanying.

The concert ended with Claudia happily pointing to her father with a loud and proud 'Mon père!'. Martial's answer 'Ma fille' was inaudible from the ever modest and obviously delighted father!

I left the hall promising myself not to miss any further Solal concerts!

The man is a national treasure!

sounds great, I'd love to see Solal live in any setting, but solo or dueting with Konitz would be perfect... I can dream on of course.....

[The Rep]

Thank you Brownie, for the account of your lovely evening. After reading it I am going to look up the most recent of Martial Solals recordings, unless you would like ti suggest some?. My favorites and one I give an airing to regularly is Martial Solal At Newport 63. I only own two other albums of his, Martial Solal 1960 and with Hampton Hawes, Key for Two.

Cheers

Edited May 13, 2006 by The Rep

[Daniel A]

Some Solal recommendations (from brownie and others) in this thread:

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...opic=17964&st=0