STÉPHANE GALLAND

STÉPHANE GALLAND AND (the mystery of) KEM

feat. Ravi Kulur / Ibrahim Maalouf

Kem, in ancient Epypt, means the color Black, like the limon of the Nile, the black earth, fertile. An extremely positive word for a color, often seen as negative, or “evil”. It is in that symbolic earth that “(the Mystery of) KEM” grows new rhythmical aspects whose schemes, “dances” and improvisations take roots in the Yin and Yang complementarity of rhythmical pulses (even/uneven).
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For this journey, Stephane Galland (Drums) is surrounded by daring and talented young musicians:Sylvain Debaisieux (sax), Bram De Looze (piano), Federico Stocchi (bass) and invites one of the most prominent Carnatic Flute player in the world from South India, Ravichandra Kulur (Ravi Shakar, Anoushka Shankar,…). The album also features Ibrahim Maalouf as a very special guest. Stephane Galland was recently touring with Ibrahim Maalouf “Red & Black Light” project, and this year, is celebrating 25 years of concerts and more than 20 albums with the band Aka Moon. He has been the leader of a unique gathering of some of the best musicians from their respective traditions (Balkan, Flamenco, Turkish, Armenian, African) in his previous project “LOBI”, considered by the French specialized press as a “masterly example of what World Jazz should be”, and got some of the highest awards by jazz critics in Jazz Magazine, Jazz News, Le Soir, and many other. Multicultural encounters and the enrichment of his own musical language and skills, have always been Stephane Galland’s major source of motivation.

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With “(the Mystery of) KEM”, he visits the rhythmical roots where all the musical traditions that he has rubbed together and integrated into his own language converge and explores a specific space that allows the integration of all these concepts without a priori or stylistic limitation.

Welcome to the black and mysterious earth of KEM.