L'Orchestre du Lion - Connexions urbaines (2018) [Hi-Res]

Needless to say, the various artists that make up the Orchestre du Lion know each other and are all active in the groups and/or performances of the Collectif du Lion. But coming together in a single musical formation with a specific orchestration, enjoying the power and energy of a big band is both a rare pleasure and a challenge in terms of people, artistry and... business!

“...big bands are unique tools of creation but also places where ideas are challenged and knowledge is shared. They stand out by the incredible diversity of their repertoires, composers, performers, languages and practices. They enable rich exchanges, while risk-taking and imagination are essential values in their relationship with the world. There is an appetite to write and play as an orchestra and a need to meet in order to think together about common problems – all this despite a difficult economic context. The big band is beautiful and alive and kicking!” Taken from the presentation of France’s Federation of Artists for Music in Large Formats (Fédération d’artistes pour la musique en GRANDS FORMATS).

This desire to come together was born following the writing of the book devoted to the more than musical adventure of the Collectif Du Lion (*), a book that traces its track record of jazz, transmission, record productions, multidisciplinary performances, diversity of genres and generations for over 35 years.

The collective lives like a troupe of artists some of whom have been there from the beginning, hail from all disciplines - jazz, rock, poetry, dance, theatre -and gather around a shared aesthetic.

A first Collectif Du Lion orchestra led by Garrett List - our teacher and later colleague - was created by some musicians who followed his improvisation classes. The orchestra notably specialized in the accompaniment of silent films, including Fritz Lang’s famous Metropolis. It is with Garrett's agreement that we are reviving this name for new adventures.

As for the title of this album, Urban connexions, it directly refers to the Liège festival of the same name supported by the city which allowed us to create freely Sous les pavés in 2012, Odyssée 14 in 2014 and L’Orchestre du Lion (under the name of Best Of du Lion in 2016).