Les frères Ferré

Gypsy Swing Guitar Duet, in a Tribute to Stéphane Grappelli (1908-1997)

Introduction

The two Ferré brothers, Boulou and Elios, are virtuoso musicians of the gypsy swing guitar, winning in 2006 the Django d’Or International Jazz Award for Music Without Borders.  They will pay homage to Stéphane Grappelli (1908-1997) and will offer interpretations of a very eclectic repertoire, covering and mixing tunes by Johann Sebastian Bach, Edith Piaf, and Django Reinhardt as well as pieces they composed themselves.

The artists

Boulou and Elios Ferré most certainly heard guitar notes while still in the womb!  Their father, Matelo Ferré, maintained fervent involvement with the instrument.  Matelo was Django Reinhardt’s road companion and, with his brothers Baro and Sarane, formed a trio destined to become famous.

From very early on in life, Boulou, who was something of a child prodigy, was capable of singing anything he heard.  It was his father who accompanied him when he gave his first performance at the Guimet Museum when he was only eight years old but already singing and improvising.  At twelve, he signed an exclusive contract with Barclay and fell in love with Johann Sebastian Bach.  The press nicknamed him “guitar’s little Mozart.”

As for Elios, he was intrigued more by the piano and Thelonius Monk. While Boulou’s direction was that of a classical jazz player, Elios was becoming more of a flamenco-rock musician.

Bach, Messiaen, and Bebop are the leitmotifs of their musical world, which is marked by emotion and refinement.  Far from a formatted swing, the brothers shine with an incredibly intelligent and eclectic freedom whose strength is drawn from renewal.  Impassioned defenders of gypsy free jazz, quick to quote but without passing off the work of others as their own, they regale in classical tunes, the rocking rhythms of the eighties, and Portuguese ballads.

They have performed with Didier Lockwood, crossing over styles while seeking subtle harmony.  Their most recent albums, Parisian Passions (winner of the Django d’Or International Jazz Award) and Live in Montpellier, were recorded with some great names:   Alain Jean-Marie (piano), Pierre Boussaguet (double bass) and Stéphane Belmondo (trumpet).

In the medias

And when highly cultured virtuoso musicians modestly favor us with their musical friendship, a Bach invention, a blues tune for Bach, or some vintage tune of bygone days, we should accept it as the gift it is.
Michel Contat, in Télérama : a French weekly TV guide

The guitarists Boulou et Elios Ferré – the unfettered heirs of Django Reinhardt – distill the pure essence of music’s great variety and diversity, magically linking sounds that one would have thought had been worlds apart.
Richard Robert, in Les Inrockuptibles : French weekly on music, TV, literature and culture

A record that surprises with rare feeling.
Jean-Michel Proust, in the weekly news magazine’s Paris Obs (Le Nouvelle Observateur)

Boulou et Elios Ferré  evolve in perfect symbiosis, sometimes brash, sometimes imbued with  astonishing sadness.
Romano Alfieri, Guitare Classique

The expression of diabolical elegance.  Utter musicality.  A beautiful encounter.
Francis Marmade, Le Monde

Link to audio clips : www.boulou-elios-ferre.com

Link to the artists' website : www.boulou-elios-ferre.com

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