MICHEL ZENINO – "ZEWOAI"

“With ZEwOAÏ, Michel Zenino returns to the sextet format. In 1988, his sextet was the first group to win the La Défense Jazz Orchestra Competition, with a unanimous decision from the jury.” Profile by Arnaud Merlin

“Michel Zenino is a unifier. A blender of music, sounds, images and adventures. Not merely a skilled instrumentalist, well-versed in the art of accompanying a soloist, but truly a leader, a genuine orchestrator of personalities. A quality (…) which he employs intelligently within his own ensembles, which have won numerous awards at major orchestra competitions.(…) Whether working with his own material or borrowed material, the story and the narrative he sets for himself – or which are proposed to him – are transformed into a masterfully crafted framework of sonic organisation, musical and poetic drama. A vibrant, invigorating and uplifting aesthetic, drawing on the finest sources of jazz history; a strong and fully-fledged sensibility; a mastery of shifting moods and colours...Arnaud Merlin, journalist (Le Monde de la Musique, Jazzman, etc.), producer for France Musique and member of the ‘Académie du Jazz’ and the ‘Académie Charles-Cros’. Michel will present a mix of old and new compositions arranged for this new group.