Xavier Mertian Quintet "Mighty Jab’S"

During one of these trips to the island of Trinidad, vibraphonist Xavier Mertian adopted the name Mighty Jab. Local musicians love the idea: "Yes French man! Dis Calypsonian name is D one fo' yuh!"
The Jab, a member of Rido Bayonne's big band where he often played at the Baiser Salé with Etienne M'Bappé, Paco Séry, Vincent Segal, (and also with Martial Solal or Stéphane Belmondo ...), invites you with this quintet, on a planet where Caribbean music rediscovers its place as mother then daughter of Jazz!

The brilliant Mathieu Borgne plays steelpan and the tanbouyé Kristof Negrit distils the vocabulary of Guadeloupe's Gwoka on drums. Emek Evci makes the double bass sound like he learned it in New York, and Pierre Guicquero makes the trombone dance like few others can (including Jean-Loup Longnon).

The arrangements sometimes play with "samples" played by the musicians in colorful unisons. It's a pleasure to see these lascars converse on compositions by Etienne Charles, Jacques Schwartz-Bart or Jaco Pastorius, but also by Tony Williams, Freddie Hubbard or ... Mighty Jab!