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We’ve been trying to pin down this label for almost two years and so are delighted to announce that we are now the distributors for

B Flat Recordings

Label formed by two brothers Lionel and Stephane Belmondo (normally referred to as just Belmondo), who won 3 Victoires del la Musique awards last year!

At the dawn of the 90’s, Lionel (saxophone) and Stéphane Belmondo (trumpet) arrived in Paris and it didn’t take them long to make a name for themselves. In 1993, the brothers formed their own quintet and released their first album ‘Jazz at Reims’. The following year, they were invited to join Dee Dee Bridgewater’s group for the world tour devoted to legendary pianist and composer Horace Silver and the release of ‘Love and Peace’. In 1994, the Belmondo Quintet recorded a second album, ‘For All Friends’, and received a Django Reinhardt Award for French Musician of the Year. Between 1994 and 1999, they expanded their musical experience and education. Lionel became director of education at the school of music IACP, while Stéphane, eager for encounters, spent his time between New York and Paris. 1999 saw them come to maturity with the recording of a new album ‘Infinity’ with Laurent Fickelson, Clovis Nicolas and Philippe Soirat on the young label Shaï. The release in early 2001 of ‘Live at the Plana’ showed once again their generosity in improvisation. More surprisingly, the Belmondo brothers could be found working alongside French electronic music pioneer DJ Frédéric Galliano. In 2003, they played magnificently on ‘Hymne au Soleil’, a programme of music by composers such as Lili Boulanger and Maurice Duruflé. These relentless activists of jazz are also engaged in the development of B-Flat recordings, the label they set up. There is no question that they are among the most exceptionally gifted contemporary jazz musicians in France today.

ARTIST: ARTAUD
Title: Artaud

Label: B Flat Recordings
Catalogue Number: 6119862

Personnel:
VINCENT ARTAUD, Double Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Programming; MALIK MEZZADRI, Flute, PIERRICK PEDRON, Alto Sax; THOMAS SAVY, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Sax; FRANCK AGULHON, Percussion; ERIC DUFAY, French Horn; NICOLAS DAUTRICOURT, Violin; JEAN-PAUL MINALI BELLA, Alto;, ARNAUD REBOTINI, Programming(5).

Track Listing:
1 Element 12
2 Downtown
3 Agarta
4 Evola
5 Das Verbrechen
6 Isaac Resonnant
7 Element 1
8 St Barthelemy
9 Primo
10 Bereshit

Artaud: composer, musician, creator, editor and producer. This music, like any artwork of a remotely personal nature, is the fruit of one man's diverse experience: in this case, not only as a top-level jazz musician, but also as a student of composition in the scholarly tradition, and an adept of cutting-edge electronic music technology. Pure and authentic, these ten tracks are the result of a slow melding and maturing, a long process of assimilation and research, and important encounters along the way, not to mention an accomplished career as a bass player.

ARTIST: BELMONDO
Title: Hymne Au Soleil

Label: B Flat Recordings
Catalogue Number: BFCD 30519

Personnel:
LIONEL BELMONDO, Soprano Sax, Tenor Sax, Alto Flute, Clarinet in A; STEPHANE BELMONDO, Flugelhorn; FRANCOIS CHRISTIN, French Horn; BASTIEN STIL, Tuba; PHILIPPE GAUTHIER, Flute, Alto Flute; DOMINIQUE DOUMAUD, English Horn; JULIEN HARDY, Bassoon; JEROME VOISIN, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet; LAURENT FICKELSON, Piano; CLOVIS NICOLAS, Acoustic Bass; PHILIPPE SOIRAT, Drums.

Track Listing:
1 Notre Pere
2 Vieille Priere Bouddhique
3 Tantum Ergo
4 Hymne Au Soleil
5 Pie Jesu
6 Reflets
7 Apres Un Reve
8 Scherzo Op2
9 Ubi Caritas
10 Sous Bois
11 Ma Mere L’Oye

It’s not every day that the Belmondo brothers release a record; the contemporary godfathers of French jazz, the two brothers, resolutely stick to the honest conviction that an album is an enduring testimony, something which requires as much investment in time as it does commitment, if it is to be carefully nurtured and meticulously brought to fruition. The ensuing result is a thing of rare beauty, to which we return time and time again.

ARTIST: STEPHANE BELMONDO
Title: Wonderland

Label: B Flat Recordings
Catalogue Number: 6109362

Personnel:
STEPHANE BELMONDO, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Conques, French Horn, Euphonium; ERIC LEGNINI, Piano; PAUL IMM, Acoustic Bass; LAURENT ROBIN, Drums & Percussion; LIONEL BELMONDO, Flute, Alto Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet; BASTIEN STILL, Tuba.

Track Listing:
1 Creepin'
2 You Will Know
3 All In Love Is Fair
4 Too High
5 Secret Life Of Plants
6 Girl Blue
7 Visions
8 Another Star
9 You've got It Bad Girl
10 Too Shy To Say

The idea of reinterpreting Stevie Wonder’s songs for his first solo disc – an event in itself given that Stéphane Belmondo is one of the most exceptional trumpeters in all of Europe – was an obvious choice for the 36-year-old artist. The result is a mature album which he has refused to rush. There is great attention to detail without sacrificing any of the disc’s natural spontaneity; it has the kind of spontaneity associated with all great jazz records… There are not many trumpeters who are able carry a whole album within the sober context of a quartet, and yet Stéphane Belmondo’s strong sense of narrative, his astounding sensitivity and innate understanding of Wonder’s songs, his innovative interpretation, and his ability to balance respect for the original with a jazzman’s capacity to make the music his own, enable him to do just that.

Also available from B Flat:
Belmondo & Yusef Lateef - Influence

The Belmondo Brothers pay their respects to, and collaborate with, the veteran American jazzman.