Kevin Seddiki

Accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier has long been a creative presence on ECM recordings, heard with the groups of Anouar Brahem (on Le pas du chat noir and Le voyage de Sahar), Louis Sclavis (Dans la nuit) and François Couturier (Nostalghia, Tarkovsky Quartet), as well as in duo with Marco Ambrosini (Inventio). Now comes the first documentation of a new endeavour, with guitarist Kevin Seddiki, whose far-reaching musical imagination matches Matinier’s own. Sedikki, who makes his ECM debut here, studied classical guitar with Pablo Márquez and has also worked with many improvisers across the idioms, from jazz to transcultural projects. The range of music addressed on Rivages runs from the traditional “Greensleeves” to Gabriel Fauré’s “Les Berceaux” to compositions and improvisations by both of the protagonists. Rivages was recorded at Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo Studio in April 2018, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Kevin Seddiki was born in France in 1981. He is mainly known as a guitar player, but also composes, and play Iranian drum called Zarb, or Tombak. He studied classical guitar with Pablo Marquez, but always has been intersted in improvisation, and very different music styles. His curiosity and versatility lead him to various collaborations with reknowned masters from different areas, from classical to Jazz, and experiences with traditionnal music from Argentina, Greece, Iran or Madagascar.

First album for this accordionist, a native of Rodez, whose path is lined with pretty meetings; Claude Nougaro, which will give him the chance to participate in his latest album The Blue Note, Art Mengo, André Minvielle, the Orchestre National de Jazz, Sanseverino also will use its services. It also counts the number of collaborations, Yael Naim, Bernard Lavillier, Bumcello, Sixun, Charles Aznavour and even Jean Rochefort. This is a trio with Kevin Seddiki on guitar and Zarb and Pierre-François Dufour, cello and drums Lionel Suarez saves the first game Cocanha! to recall the myth of plenty, popular utopia, the collective dream like party, the vigil, the game that makes you forget the real world. A beautiful start!

"Playing the demanding and constantly shifting string quartet repertory is enough to fill up four lives… Buoyed up by this heritage, we wanted to explore less well-known territories. In the early years of the twentieth century, Bartók and Kodály roamed the villages of Hungary and Romania, collecting, transcribing and recording hundreds of folk tunes and songs. Building on a number of encounters with leading figures of jazz and world music, we asked five instrumentalist-composers to write us pieces inspired by musical worlds to which they feel close. In addition to these new compositions, we wanted to record Escalay by the Egyptian oud player Hamza el Din who died in 2006, a nod to the Kronos Quartet whose approach is an inspiration to us." (Voce Quartet: Sarah Dayan and Cécile Roubin (violins), Guillaume Becker (viola), Lydia Shelley (cello)). A recording made under the artistic direction of Vincent Segal.