Metisse Music

Aurasky Music is a new French label and publishing entity administered by Métisse Music worldwide. First artists on release are Norazia, singer/songwriter between pop and ambient and the experimental jazz group Jaster.

BLAST is an electro-jazz band created by trumpet player Pierre Millet with a very original album release on independent French label Eklektik Rekords.

Christophe Raymond is an outstanding jazz violin player and composer, Tony Raymond an equally talented composer and original pianist. Les Frères Raymond will have their first album on release on the label Lontano/Warner, France, in 2009.

Claude Chalhoub is a young composer and violin virtuoso from Lebanon signed to Métisse Music worldwide, who has worked with Daniel Barenboim. His eponymous album is a classy production by Michael Brook of compositions inspired by classical and oriental musical themes on Teldec/WEA. Chalhoub’s compositions are very much in demand for synchronisation.

Composer and bass clarinet player Denis Colin has been seen to develop his adventurous career as a soloist, in trio format, as a guest with Archie Shepp, in collaboration with Minneapolis singer Gwen Matthews and with the approximately 10 musicians of his own band . He also works in the film music field, collaborating with French artist and award winning cartoonist Florence Miailhe.

Denis Frajerman is a French contemporary music composer/producer/musician with a highly original and very striking approach. His compositions for classical strings or jazz related instruments feature samples of animal sounds and electronic work. He collaborates amongst others with literary writer Antoine Volodine and with the Canadian film maker Guy Maddin.

A very effective French indie label specializing in Anglosaxon and French blues; first artists/composers signed on the publishing side were Benoit Blue Boy and Nico Wayne Toussaint as well as American artists Tino Gonzales, Phil Brown, Bonny B , Gashouse Dave , Pura Fe , Neal Black . The latest new publishing signing is UK group Nublues, with two albums on release.

Featured artists: The Golden Gate Quartet

Djamel Laroussi, author, composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist from Algeria, an especially skilled guitar player, features amongst the artists that have the gift to popularise music from their region and beyond without musical concessions. His compositions are an invitation to dance. The lyrics of the songs are written and sung in French, Berber and Arab language.

American composer Eric Longsworth is a cellist with the technique of a virtuoso player, the inventiveness of a storyteller and an inspired sense of melody, rhythm and improvisation; defined as a jazz musician, but with much openness towards and inspired by all kinds of music: ethnic, classical, blues. He is based in France.

The young singer, guitarist and composer Franck Biyong from Cameroon, based in France, whose music is inspired by Afrobeat, has had several self-produced tracks by his group Massak out on international compilations and collaborates with UK and US musicians.

Ghetto Blaster continue heating up clubs and concert halls with their Afrobeat music, mixed with jazz and funk, their music takes you to Nigeria, where the musical style of Afrobeat was born. Created at the end of the 60ies by Fela Anikulapo Kuti, that music actively claims the improvement of human and social conditions in Africa, while never putting the groove and the dancing into second place.

The composer and vocalist Gino Sitson from Cameroon grew up in France and is now based in the USA. In the past, he lent his voice for recording and touring to many well known artists like Manu Dibango, Richard Bona, Ray Lema, Jorge Ben, Wally Badarou et al. He has several solo projects on release. His CD “Song Zin” was released in 2002 on German world music label Piranha. He is touring with the project “Vocal Deliria” with some songs from his album of the same name, in view of recording the a capella ensemble the course of the year.

Giovanni Mirabassi the successful composer and jazz pianist from Italy based in France, has been recording for French label Sketch Records in the past and is now signed to French independent Discograph . Mirabassi is curently playing in a trio formation with Leon Parker and Gianluca Renzi.

Jacques Coursil : composer, trumpet player with a very special sound, as well as professor of linguistics, literature and the philosophy of mathematics, Jacques Coursil was born in Paris. His parents are from Martinique, and Coursil, citizen of the world, having lived and worked in the US, in France, in Africa and in Martinique, considers the island his real home.His last two albums are on release through Universal.

Featured artists: Jacques Coursil

Singer/songwriter from Wales based in France, collaborator of Peter Blegvad, co-founder of Henry Cow, John Greaves has worked with Michael Nyman, Robert Wyatt and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, amongst many. His album “Songs” features Robert Wyatt. Recent releases are the trio CD “The Trouble With Happiness” and “Chansons” with singer Elise Caron on French label Chant du Monde/Harmonia Mundi, as well as a re-issue on the same label of the legendary “Kew/Rhone” album. John Greaves has “Verlaine” his latest album on release through French independent Zig Zag Territoires.

Jun Miyake , Japanese composer and producer hors pair, shares his time between Tokyo and Paris when he is not engaged in activities in some other parts of the globe. Amongst the compositions published are some composed for the Pina Bausch Tanztheater, some film music as well as the compositions of his latest album, “Stolen from Strangers”, with special guests like Arto Lindsay and Vinicius Cantuaria, Sanseverino, Arthur H. Lisa Papineau , Dhafer Youssef and Peter Scherer, released in autumn, 2008 across Europe and in Canada.

Laurence Revey is a singer/songwriter from French-speaking Switzerlan. Her first album “Derrière le Miroir” produced by Chris Birkett (Shinead O’Connor) was biggest newcomer success in Switzerland in 1997. The following album “LE CREUX DES FEES” produced with the help of Hector Zazou, a world music project released on the French label Naïve in 2002 (Musikvertrieb in Switzerland) includes remixes by Gus Gus, Transglobal Underground, Bugge Wesseltoft, Nils Petter Molvaer and Mich Gerber.

Composer, keyboards player and programmer, Laurent Pernice has realised a subtle electronic album, titled “Drosophiles and Doryphores” with sax player Jacques Barberi.

French electro-acoustic group with releases “Mundus Subterraneus” and “Tycho Brahe” as well as others in the past on the American Hearts of Space/Fathom label, re-released by Horizon, USA in 2005. Lightwave perform rarely, in very exceptional venues: A sculpture/music project with Anne & Patrick Poirier a the Gasometer cultural center in Oberhausen/Germany and their participation in the avantgarde Grenoble Festival with a concert in the subterranean caves , or at the Nice Observatory. Their latest album, “Bleue Comme une orange”, was released by Signature/Radio France, a French-based record label, as was their previous one, “Caryotype”.

An excellent author/composer/jazz singer, Louisa Bey keeps a delicate balance with repertoire ‘singer/songwriter’ while drawing her inspiration from folk jazz and rock references, she is accompanied by her excellent young band with a soft jazz/pop groove.

Man produces a rare and elegant form of elctroacoustic music that touches base with uncharted territories where anything is possible. (my space) Charles-Eric and his partner Rasim Biyikli have recorded three albums and worked for film soundtracks, painters, choreographers and completed many tours.

Author composer and leader of the group Mathis and the Mathematiks, which released a first album in 2004 in Spain and then in France, in 2005, to great acclaim from press and radio, and with an excellent response to their concert performances. (my space) Mathis is preparing a new album release.

Mike Westbrook is an English contemporary music and jazz composer, arranger and bandleader signed direct to Metisse Music with many compositions inc. three operas of contemporary music to his credit. His CD “Glad day”, with music inspired by the English mystic poet William Blake for big band, choir and solo voices is one of his releases on Enja Records, Germany. Westbrook’s grand classic “London Bridge” has been re-released in 2009.

MonkOMarok a French band from Toulouse in the south of France. They never cease to amaze their audiences with an eclectic and energetic mix of musical influences from the Orient, the Balkans and Southern Europe, presented with gusto, mixed with improvisation and poetic inspiration from some latin poets. The members of the band are also working on individual projects.

This American artist, based in France in recent years has had her first album entitled “Milagro” released by Universal France in 2001. Metisse signed Natalia M King to a three year publishing contract on the strength of her demos. The album has also been released in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK and the United-States. Her last album published by Métisse Music, “FuryandSound” was released in the spring of 2003.

Norberto Pedreira trio are three Argentinans based in France. They have recorded their first album for the French label Aïa Music, associated with Al Sur/Disques Concord. Their music has Latin American roots but is subtly modern and of great appeal.

Charles-Eric Charrier is one half of the duo Man. Charles-Eric and his partner Rasim Biyikli have recorded three albums and worked for film soundtracks, painters, choreographers and completed many tours. He also writes and records as a solo artist under the name Oldman. He has as collaborated with many artists and musicians including Mathias Delplanque (LENA), Rob Mazurek, Abraxax, The Clogs, Orange Blossom, Teamforest, Le Coq…

Metisse Music copublishes a number of authors/composers/artists of the Owl Records catalogue, what is now part of Universal Jazz France / Verve: Paolo Fresu, Stefan Oliva, Jimmy Giuffre, Helen Merrill…

Paolo Fresu the Italian jazz trumpet player from Sardinia, constantly touring and very appreciated in France, recorded three albums for BMG and several for OWL which are now part of Universal’s catalogue and which are published or co-published by Métisse Music.

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Pascal Lamour is deeply rooted in the music of his region, Britanny, on the French Atlantic coast. The Celtic influences of this music are very present in his songs, as are all kinds of modern musical languages like electronics, samples, the rhythms of reggae and rap. His CDs are released on his own label BNC which also features other musicians from Britanny, known to be a hothouse of creativity in France.

Paul Brock is a contemporary music composer as well as a very talented painter. Based in Paris, he was born in Morocco of French and American parents and has been living in many different places. The appreciation of what surrounds him is palpable in his music, which integrates samples of the sounds of the streets and houses, of nature, voices and whatever catches his ear. He reworks these and joins them with his piano and other instruments, like the Cristal Baschet.

Apart from being the excellent guitarist and the leader of the UK band Nublues, Ramon Goose is pursuing a solo carreer as a producer of blues artists (two albums for Dutch blues label Black & Tan) and performer. He is currently working on a production with Senegalese singer and kora player Diabel Cissokho (ex Baba Maal) with Eric Ford on drums, Akos Hasznos (bass), and Ramon on guitar.

Raphaël Imbert is a saxophonist and jazz composer, recipient of a ‘Villa Médicis hors les murs’ award for his research into sacred music and jazz, he won the 28th national jazz competition at La Défense in 2005 with his ensemble Newtopia.

Featured artists: Raphaël Imbert

Sanctuary is a unique trio of bass clarinet, cello and church organ from Nova Scotia, Canada which explores ancient plainsong, improvisation and contemporary music. They were signed to Warner Classics UK and have their CD “The Heart Has its Reasons” on release since 2005. The trio will have several projects on release in 2009/2010.

The Israeli composer/singer/instrumentalist based in France, with a beautiful album called “CAFE TURC” on release on Al Sur, is inspired by all the music around the Mediterranean and has recorded with musicians from Greece, Italy, Turkey and France. Sara Alexander is an untiring messenger of tolerance and understanding between people of different cultures and different religions who remains constantly active in fostering the understanding between Israel and Palestine.

Sublime has been living in Japan for more than 20 years. Known for her interpretations of French standards, she has been collaborating with numerous local musicians among whose Coba and Jun Miyake. With them, she created her repertory of original songs

Featured artists: Sublime

The work of the young composer Sylvain Chauveau is attracting an ever growing number of film directors in France and abroad. His minimalist approach, often compared to Satie, his film music work and his great voice which we are likely to hear more of in the future makes him attractive not only to French labels and a French audience. His albums have recently been released in the UK by FatCat and by Type Records.

Composer and multi-instrumentist Sylvain Rifflet, founder of the band Rockingchair together with trumpet player Airelle Besson and composer, amongst others, of the original soundtrack of “Dernier Maquis” by French director Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche.

Featured artists: Sylvain Rifflet

Composer Toma Feterman leads the urban/gypsy/rock band La Caravane Passe and also the acoustic Klezmer ensemble Trio Freylekh Trio . The inspired music of La Caravane Passe is available on two albums, “Go to Plechti!” and the double CD/DVD “Velkom Plechti”, on release since the end of 2007. The band built its reputation by touring France and will now be travelling to make their music known outside of France. The Freylekh Trio have their third album on release in 2009.

Composer and percussionist Wandji Manuel creates a subtle mix of urban and African traditional sounds. With three albums published through Métisse Music, this artist who divides his time between Cameroon and France is also very active as a composer for hip hop and African dance companies.
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Yaron Herman, a young jazz pianist from Israel, has been based in France for the last few years. Having released his first album on French label Sketch Records at the age of 22, in 2003, he has signed with the label Laborie, distributed by Naïve for a solo project entitled “Variations” released in 2006, followed by the trio production “A Time For Everything” recorded with Matt Brewer and Gerald Cleaver in 2007. The trio album “Muse” is on release in 2009.