T@B - Thierry Lang

Perhaps not as a rule, but very ohen to be
found: Pian ists that cultiva te the either/ortype of interpretation. Either they cu ltivate
the hard swinging g roove, usi ng brilliant
techn iques and flashy runs - or they are so
reflective in their musical altitude, that the
result can only be ca lled "sleepy': But watch
out for the young dudes, they actua lly are
"neither/nor" - a new generation of pianists
has emerged and Thierry Lang very clearly
belongs to that category.
Needless to say that Th ierry Lang is an excellent pianist in the rea l and most positive
sense of the this otherwise trite expression.
No "Art for Art's sake" display of technique,
but its tasteful submission to a w ide musical
scope, a creative way to absorb the trad ition of the jazz piano (mainly suggested
by Bill Evans, Keith Jarrelt and Enrico
Pieranunzi) as weil as compulsory hard
wark. Ai l of this has cu lminated in the
above mentioned "excellence" of a seriously
involved musician, capable of not only
d rawing but a lso keeping the listeners
altention from the first to the very la st note
of his performance.
Thierry Lang (39, born in Romont, the
French part of Switzerlandi, is into
his 23rd year as a jazz pianist and his
l Oth year as the leader of a trio
w hich is widely acclaimed (Lang , p,
Ivor Ma lherbe, b and Marcel Papaux, dr).
Inbetween European tours, they have per-
formed at festiva ls such as Montreux, Pori ,
Detroit or Atlanta. Seeking further musical
expansion, La ng has been working w ith
many of the "big-time" /·azzm usicians like
Art Farmer, Johnny Grif in, C harlie Mariano
or Billy Cobham, and as far as th is a lbum
is concerned, the time seemed right to
reactivate yet another connection:
The one w ith famous harmonica specialist
Jean-Baptiste "Toots" Thielemans. As this
album reveals, it was the right choice. The
very tasteful mixture of originals and
standards, ballads and up-tempo tunes,
pensive or driving interpretations with Toots
or by the trio alone, plus the unexpected
like an up-tempo for the ballad "My Funny
Valentine" or a rocking "SoIar" makes th is
a lbum a special musical feast for the
listener.
As more and more pianists play themselves
into the foreground, it is time to draw the
afficionado's altention to those that should
be highlighted as "talents deserving much
w ider regogn ition ". Thierry Lang has come
a long way to be counted among the chosen few European pianists who definitely
belong to that category.
Kurt Wei l
Marcel Papaux plays Sonor drums
Th ierry Lang plays Steinway "D"
You have purchased a CD prod uced by T@B Music for your listen ing pleasure. You are
Iooking at a logo that wil l from now on identify a label that is by nature dedicated to the
presentation of world-class artists and newor lesser known talent deserving wider
recognition via one specifie or severa 1well-conceived record ings. Each of T@B's records
w ill mark a step forward in the career of our artists and we sha ll be very determined
with ou r intentions to assist our artists in their efforts to establ ish themselves on thei r relevant
scene. W hich means in essence that we regard both Europe and the USA as the
territories from wh ich we shall select the suitable musicians to help them on their way as
weil as to team them up with o ne another to create a sort of a link between the talents of
both continents. Another aspect ofT@B's philosophy deals with our assistance to the jazzenthusiast, helping him to distinguish between the several styles by showing the spine of our
C Ds in various colou rs.
You are listeni ng to a CD with a RED spine - identifying it as a "stra ight a head" a lbum w hich
cou Id contai n bebop, post- or hardbop jazz, in sho rt, bebop and beyond.
If th is is the music you are Iooking for, you've picked the right choice and you wi ll do so in
the futu re as weil.
If you are Iooking for the classic big names in jazz, we suggest you try our blue
and g reen lines. Should you be a contemporary jazz-enth usiast as weil, look for the
T@B yellow CD-spine and you will find your favourite sounds right there.
Thank you fo r joining us, enjoy the music and keep Iooking for new T@B a lbums in the
future.
T@B
WHERE MUSIC MATIERS
T@B Music SA, Route Cantonale 103, C H -1025 Saint-Sulpice/Switzerland
Pho ne +41 +21 - 691 18 48, Fax +4 1 +21- 691185 8
Ce disque a été produit avec l'aide du Crédit Suisse
T.H 1ERR Y LAN G TRIO
SPECIAL GUEST
TOOTS
tire
THIELEMANS
/J1",e, f ta4t
THIERRY LANG piano IVOR MALHERBE bass MARCEL PAPAUX drums
TOOTS THIELEMANS harmonica CARINE SARRASIN cello
1. THE BLUE PEACH (Thierry long)
2. VENDREDI 18 (Thierry long)
3. LA RIVIÈRE TRANQUillE (Thierry long)
4. BODY AND SOUl (Johnny Green)
5. SOLAR (Miles Davis)
6. MY FUNNY VALENTINE (Richard Rodgers/lorenz Hart)
7. MY FOOLISH HEART (Victor Young)
8. THREE LlNES (Thierry long)
Total Time
4:20
6:19
6:52
8:19
3:42
8:14
5:02
5:47
48:35
Produced for T@B Music by
Executive Producers
....--.
.............
+SUISA+
Thierry Lang, Ivor Malherbe, Marcel Papaux, Philippe Dubath
Yvan l5ther, Radio Suisse Romande Expace 2 "JazzZ"
Peter Schmidlin T@B Music
Location and date Studio 11, RSR Geneva, September 26-28, 1994
Recording engineers Pierre· Adrien Sémoroz, Antoine Ogay
Mixing Jean'Pierre Molliet, Pierre'Adrien Sémoroz, March 10& 11, 1995
Digital editing & mastering Antoine Ogay
Production coordination Gino Ferlin
Marketing/ Promotion René J. Aeberhardt
Photos by Jean'Pierre Nicolau
liner Notes by Kurt S. Weil
Frontcover design Jorg Stadler, Basle
Graphic Artwork AbisZ, Gigi Schmid'Huetiger, Lucerne
® and © 1995 T@B Music SA, CH 1025 Saint'Suipice
T@B Music SA, Route (antonale 103, CH 1025 Saint·Sulpice/ Switzerland
phone +41 +21 6911848, fax +41 +21 6911856
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T@B
WHERE MUSICMATIERS
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