LG Jazz Collective - Strange Deal (2018)

With several awards under the arm (Leffe Jazz Nights 2012, Octaves of Music 2015) and a widely acclaimed first album ('New Feel', 2014), LG Jazz Collective presents their second album 'Strange Deal'. The guitarist Guillaume Vierset is this time again at the origin of all the compositions and their arrangements.

He is still accompanied by the trumpet player Jean-Paul Estiévenart, the tenor saxophonist Steven Delannoye,the bassist Félix Zurstrassen and the drummer Antoine Pierre. Alex Koo now replaces Igor Gehenot and Rob Banken is the new alto saxophonist of the septet. Do not hesitate to call them the "Magnificent Seven of the young Belgian jazz scene". 'Strange Deal' does not revolve only around the guitar. On the contrary, Guillaume uses the characteristics and variables of his fellow musicians to produce a strong and dynamics group sound. The link with the jazz tradition remains, as does the acoustic color of the project.

The LG Jazz Collective does not need electronic subterfuges. All its dynamics is made around strong and well-built melodies. This septet is organic and builds its music according to its own rules, each of which enriches the ensemble in turn. The basic structures and the interpretation seem much more complex and thorough than on the previous CD. The group is also fully aware of contemporary musical expression and has listened attentively to trendsetters such as Ben Wendel, Gerald Clayton and Gilda Hekselman. The cover of the first album depicts seven young people looking for the right direction in the middle of the railroad tracks. The second album offers us the graphics of a big city. The musicians have arrived in the country of jazz, and with 'Strange Deal', they have the ideal business card to establish a definitive name. San Francisco has its collective SFJAZZ, Belgium has the LG Jazz Collective.