Jacky Molard Acoustic Quartet

Although he has been an essential musician of the French Brittany scene for about thirty years, Jacky Molard's Acoustic Quartet is his first stint as band leader. Since his early days, Molard been one of the main instigators of the reshaping of Celtic music in France, willingly combining multiple elements from other world music - Irish, of course, but also Central and Eastern European - and from jazz (Molard played a few times as a duo with Dominique Pifarely). And whether it is playing with Ogham, a band put together with his brothers, or with Gwerz, a real reference in Briton music, or along with singer Erik Marchand, Molard's way of writing music creates space, with subtle touches, for these diverse inspirations. His songs always pay attention to catchy melodies, allowing an immediate closeness with the audience, perhaps echoing some deep common roots. In order to work in this direction, the violinist has surrounded himself with musicians who are immersed in tradition, yet also are open to other horizons. For example, sax player Yanick Jory and accordionist Janick Martin both play traditional music as well as contemporary music, gypsy, and jazz music; and acoustic bass player Helene Labarriere contributes to the quartet her wide experience in jazz music, from be-bop to modern improvisation. This diverse array of experiences imparts to Molard's music a deep density and strong identity behind the moiré glints of the harmonies.