Traces of the Past of Martinique

Sunday 7 June, 19:00, Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall

Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, Vilnius

Performers
GRÉGORY PRIVAT (piano, Martinique and France)
GRÉGORY PRIVAT QUINTET:
MANU CODJIA (guitar, France)
JIRI SLAVIK (double bass, Czech Republic and Francee)
SONNY TROUPÉ (Guadalupe and France)
ADRIANO TENÓRIO (percussion, Brazil)
Quest of the Quintet – GUSTAV KARLSTRÖM (vocal, Sweden)

Programme
Traces of the Past of Martinique
Personal jazz composition Tales of Cyparis

With the visit of Grégory Privat, a celebrated jazz pianist and generator of intriguing projects, the Vilnius Festival audience will be able to enjoy his original compositions comparable to musical theatre, a story telling via improvisations. Born in Martinique, Grégory Privat together with his colleagues Manu Codjia (guitar), Jiri Slavik (double bass), Sonny Troupé and Adriano Tenório (percussion) and Gustav Karlström, guest vocalist from Sweden, will present internationally acclaimed programme Tales of Cyparis, which was also released as a CD. The musicians tell a real story in a universal jazz music language. In 1902, volcanic eruption destroyed Martinique’s capital Saint-Pierre and killed its entire population. Imprisoned in a stone bunker Louis-Auguste Cyparis (1875–1929) was the only one to survive the fatal blast. Later he toured the world with Barnum & Bailey Circus telling his incredible story.

Grégory Privat started playing piano and composing while still in high school. He abandoned classical piano and moved toward jazz and improvisation, and while studying engineering in Toulouse began performing solo and with a trio at jam sessions in local clubs, debuted in festivals. With his group playing Caribbean music came to Paris determined to conquer the music scene. The desire to excel and progress in his music encouraged the musician to enter several international piano competitions and earn recognition (Jazz Piano Competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Concours Martial Solal, etc). Soon after, Grégory Privat put himself through a new training method, the one more personal and intimate, as he played his compositions at major jazz clubs in Paris, such as Le Baiser Salé, the New Morning, or the Duc des Lombards. It was from this grounding that he recorded his first album in 2011, Ki Koté to great acclaim. Tales of Cyparis is his second album, recorded with a new group.