Nguyên Lê Streams
World jazz in motion. Nguyên Lê's music is in constant change. Since over 30 years the French guitarist with Vietnamese roots combines jazz and worldmusic in a unique fashion. "Streams" continues this tradition, but unlike Lê's recent projects, with a stronger jazz-focus but nevertheless inspired by Indian and North African rhythms, Vietnamese melodies, oriental accents and un-heard, imaginary folk music.
The only constant about Nguyên Lê’s career is that it’s always evolving. The Paris-born and based musicianhas established himself as a preeminent voice in combiningmyriad global musics with Vietnamese influences in thrillingand groundbreaking ways. His latest release, Streams,continues in that tradition. The album is a collaborationbetween Le and the worldly-minded talents of Americandrummer John Hadfield, Canadian bassist Chris Jenningsand French vibraphonist Illya Amar.“Every album of mine is kind of the contrary of the one I did before, with its own story,” says Le. “Streamsis more jazz than previous projects, in my most personaldefinition of the word. I started doing world jazz’ with1996’s Tales from Viet Nam and 1998’s Maghreb &Friends. Integrating jazz and world music has been a longprocess across many subsequent albums...
Line up:Nguyên Lê / electric guitar & electronics
Illya Amar / vibraphone
Chris Jennings / acoustic bass
John Hadfield / drums & percussion
Producing, mixing & additional recordings by Nguyên Lê at Louxor studio, Paris,France, August & September 2018
Recorded by Hugo Bracchi at Midilive Studios, France, July 2018
Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann
Executive Producer: Siggi Loch
Cover art by Philip Taaffe, Signal (detail), 1986, used with the kind permission of the artist
Lacquer Disc Cutting by Sydney Claire Meyer at Emil Berliner Studios Berlin
Track List:
- Hippocampus ( Nguyên Lê)05:09
- Bamiyan ( Nguyên Lê)05:39
- Swing A Ming ( Nguyên Lê)05:57
- Subtle Body ( Nguyên Lê)05:03
- 6h55 ( Chris Jennings)04:33
- Mazurka ( Nguyên Lê)06:10
- Sawira ( Nguyên Lê)05:47
- The Single Orange ( Illya Amar)04:10
- Coromandel ( Nguyên Lê)05:19