Julien Grassen Barbe Trio — ‘Loup Vert’

Loup vert is the first jazz album by French pianist Julien Grassen Barbe, recently released on the Hidd label. A project inspired by impressionism, cinema, bebop, mathematics and improvised music.  Loup vert is the name of a fetish, a creature that breathes inspiration - a nod to the poet Rainer Rilke. It is this music, augmented by new compositions, that the trio will perform on May 29 at 38Riv.

For the occasion, they will be joined by Slim Chikhaoui on double bass and Tom Peyron on drums. Julien Grassen Barbe's music has many influences, from Frédéric Chopin to Morton Feldman, from Erik Satie to Herbie Hancock, via Keith Jarrett, Madlib and Naftule Brandwein.

Trained in classical music, a graduate of the Conservatoire des Hautes-Pyrénées where he hails from, writer-performer-composer Julien Grassen Barbe is also an ethnomusicologist specializing in Jewish music. 

Some of his pieces feature liturgical elements, which he blends with jazz in his arrangements. The title "Bashevis", the single from his album, is part of this encounter between "traditional" music and jazz. The trio's repertoire is an invitation to travel, to reverie, to melancholy. Julien Grassen Barbe's music opens up a space dedicated to melody and the exploration of textures. Pop and hip hop meet the shimmering harmonies of Debussy, with jazz providing the bridges.