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Nguyên Lê
Nguyên Lê
Streams
VÖ: 22.02.2019
Genre: Weltmusik-Jazz, Zeitgenössischer Jazz, World Jazz
Nguyên Lê / electric guitar & electronics
Illya Amar / vibraphone
Chris Jennings / acoustic bass
John Hadfield / drums & percussion
The only constant about Nguyên Lê’s career is that it’s always evolving. The Paris-born and based musician has established himself as a preeminent voice in combining myriad global musics with Vietnamese influences in thrilling and groundbreaking ways. His latest release, Streams, continues in that tradition. The album is a collaboration between Le and the worldly-minded talents of American drummer John Hadfield, Canadian bassist Chris Jennings and French vibraphonist Illya Amar.
“Every album of mine is kind of the contrary of the one I did before, with its own story,” says Le. “Streams is more jazz than previous projects, in my most personal definition of the word. I started doing world jazz’ with 1996’s Tales from Viet Nam and 1998’s Maghreb & Friends. Integrating jazz and world music has been a long process across many subsequent albums. Now, I want to reveal where this journey has brought me today and how each cultural idiosyncrasy has melted into my own voice. Every tune on Streams has some inner ethnic inspiration. There are lots of Indian rhythm concepts, many Indian and Vietnamese phrasings, Oriental melodic shifts and accents, and rhythms from Maghreb—as well as unknown references to imaginary traditions.”
Each tune on Streams explores engaging and complex compositional perspectives. “‘Subtle Body’ is a song with zones of different time signatures following each other seamlessly,” says Le. “‘Bamiyan’ is about rhythmic subdivisions, groupings and equivalencies. In fact, Streams has some of the most difficult music I’ve ever written. But there’s always a focus on melody, which ensures the songs don’t sound mathematical. For instance, ‘Mazurka’ has a romantic melody, followed by strong rhythmic development, based on the song’s unique West Indian and Polish roots. I like to think all of Streams’ music showcases the journey of cultures, and how cultures transform themselves when they travel.”
“This group is a great symbiosis of musicians, human beings and artistic personalities,” says Lê. “I’ve known Illya since he was three. He's my stepson and I saw him grow up and become a fantastic vibraphonist. He has been intimate with all the aspects of my music and is now part of several of my bands. I’ve known Chris for over 10 years. He provides such solid foundations which are rare to hear in funky grooves for an acoustic bass player. At the same time, he makes every bass line sing. Chris introduced me to John, who has a deep love of indigenous traditions. He has traveled extensively to India, Peru, Mongolia, the Middle East, and Indonesia to learn the rhythms and instruments of each of these cultures. All three have deep ethnic musical experiences and knowledge that make them understand my music immediately.”
For Lê, an essential element of jazz is having an open mind and open ears. “Because it's based on collective improvisation, jazz is about listening to the other musicians and reacting and adapting your musical speech to the other on the spot,” says Lê. “This essential dialog and interplay makes jazz musicians the most empowered for cross-cultural dialogues. The Streams quartet is one of my favorite examples of opening up that dialog. It creates rich musical conversations that, while grounded in jazz, ultimately transcends genres, enabling listeners to simply focus on and enjoy the music. I believe a new world of inspiration is opening up between tradition and modernity, East and West, and North and South. Streams is the embodiment of that idea.”
Illya Amar / vibraphone
Chris Jennings / acoustic bass
John Hadfield / drums & percussion
The only constant about Nguyên Lê’s career is that it’s always evolving. The Paris-born and based musician has established himself as a preeminent voice in combining myriad global musics with Vietnamese influences in thrilling and groundbreaking ways. His latest release, Streams, continues in that tradition. The album is a collaboration between Le and the worldly-minded talents of American drummer John Hadfield, Canadian bassist Chris Jennings and French vibraphonist Illya Amar.
“Every album of mine is kind of the contrary of the one I did before, with its own story,” says Le. “Streams is more jazz than previous projects, in my most personal definition of the word. I started doing world jazz’ with 1996’s Tales from Viet Nam and 1998’s Maghreb & Friends. Integrating jazz and world music has been a long process across many subsequent albums. Now, I want to reveal where this journey has brought me today and how each cultural idiosyncrasy has melted into my own voice. Every tune on Streams has some inner ethnic inspiration. There are lots of Indian rhythm concepts, many Indian and Vietnamese phrasings, Oriental melodic shifts and accents, and rhythms from Maghreb—as well as unknown references to imaginary traditions.”
Each tune on Streams explores engaging and complex compositional perspectives. “‘Subtle Body’ is a song with zones of different time signatures following each other seamlessly,” says Le. “‘Bamiyan’ is about rhythmic subdivisions, groupings and equivalencies. In fact, Streams has some of the most difficult music I’ve ever written. But there’s always a focus on melody, which ensures the songs don’t sound mathematical. For instance, ‘Mazurka’ has a romantic melody, followed by strong rhythmic development, based on the song’s unique West Indian and Polish roots. I like to think all of Streams’ music showcases the journey of cultures, and how cultures transform themselves when they travel.”
“This group is a great symbiosis of musicians, human beings and artistic personalities,” says Lê. “I’ve known Illya since he was three. He's my stepson and I saw him grow up and become a fantastic vibraphonist. He has been intimate with all the aspects of my music and is now part of several of my bands. I’ve known Chris for over 10 years. He provides such solid foundations which are rare to hear in funky grooves for an acoustic bass player. At the same time, he makes every bass line sing. Chris introduced me to John, who has a deep love of indigenous traditions. He has traveled extensively to India, Peru, Mongolia, the Middle East, and Indonesia to learn the rhythms and instruments of each of these cultures. All three have deep ethnic musical experiences and knowledge that make them understand my music immediately.”
For Lê, an essential element of jazz is having an open mind and open ears. “Because it's based on collective improvisation, jazz is about listening to the other musicians and reacting and adapting your musical speech to the other on the spot,” says Lê. “This essential dialog and interplay makes jazz musicians the most empowered for cross-cultural dialogues. The Streams quartet is one of my favorite examples of opening up that dialog. It creates rich musical conversations that, while grounded in jazz, ultimately transcends genres, enabling listeners to simply focus on and enjoy the music. I believe a new world of inspiration is opening up between tradition and modernity, East and West, and North and South. Streams is the embodiment of that idea.”
Nguyên Lê
The Paris-born son of Vietnamese immigrants is an outstanding guitarist and composer who has made a name for himself with his innovative fusion of jazz and traditional Vietnamese music. His music seamlessly blends Western jazz harmonies with Eastern melodies and rhythms, resulting in his unique, global sound. Lê has collaborated with many artists and released numerous albums that showcase his versatility and ability for musical fusion. As an innovator in the field of world music and jazz, he has received several awards and is a sought-after musician on international stages. Nguyên Lê's artistic work is known for its depth, complexity and ability to combine different cultures and musical traditions into a musical whole.
Nguyên Lê
