Trio Sud,
Sylvain Luc's second outing with bassist
Jean-Marc Jafet and drummer
André Ceccarelli, is a riot of musical diversity, featuring highly creative readings of everything from
Horace Silver ("Out of the Night Came You," "Peace") to
Miriam Makeba ("Pata Pata") to
Barry Manilow ("Could It Be Magic").
Luc's acoustic guitar tone is effervescent, his chops often staggering. He can swing like mad ("La Complainte de la Butte"), but he's equally informed by Brazilian, French, Basque, and gypsy traditions. His closing arrangement of
Tárrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra shows more than a passing familiarity with classical guitar literature. And he's a strong writer too, as is shown by two originals, "Eraldi" and "Irdir." (
Jafet, who contributes the bop-blues line "Don't Tell Me," is no slouch.) Fans of acoustic jazz guitar will be knocked out. ~ David R. Adler