How?s this for an atypical jazz quartet ? double bass, trombone, electric guitar and a chromatic harmonica? It seems to work for Le Monde de Kota.
France?s four-year-old ensemble, ever on a quest for energetic rare tone combinations, brings its dynamic new sound to Baltimore.
Le Monde de Kota, all from the Paris Conservatory Jazz Class, consists of a world mix of jazz players: Tuscan-born bassist Julien Ome, trombonist Stephane Montigny from Orleans, Italian guitar player Guido Zorn and Lebanese harmonica player Olivier Goulet.
The band wrote and arranged the compositions with careful attention to the varied musical experience of each member, and are therefore, they say, “open to the world.”
“Each of us has brought his own influences, as we all used to play in other bands,” Montigny said. “Blues, classical music, brass bands, world music, jazz, too.”
Type in the word “Kota” on the Internet, and you?ll chance on a town in India. But for some, it suggests the “unknown.”
The band, formed in 2003, began playing regularly in 2004 at the jazz club La Fontaine in Paris. As the first French band to win the Hoeilaart International Jazz Contest, doors opened and a tour of Belgium soon followed the award, coinciding with its first CD release, “Murmures.”
Their performance at An die Music, sponsored by the French Embassy in Washington, marks the band’s first show in the United States.
“I never performed in the United States, but I visited New York and[heard] some jazz concerts there,” Montigny said. “People applaud after a brilliant solo. It will be an adventure to come and play in front of an American audience. We?re going to discover new sensations.”
Olivier agrees, calling the audiences here “high quality” with “fresh ears [and] nice reactions.”
“[We are] honored to partner with the Embassy of France to showcase these musicians,” said Henry Wong of An die Music. “These and other musicians perform at the embassy in D.C., and generously agree to play one night here.”
IF YOU GO
Embassy of France Music Series at An die Musik LIVE!
» Venue: An Die Musik LIVE!, 409 N. Charles St., Baltimore
» Time: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
» Tickets: $15; $12 students and seniors
» More info: 410-385-2638
