On June 21, Matthieu Saglio will perform at the Kunsthalle Kühlungsborn for the Days of World Music and open up new worlds for the audience with his cello.
"Matthieu Saglio is arguably the greatest French jazz cellist today" (Babelmed).
With an unmistakable sound and an impressive musical range, Matthieu Saglio has established himself as one of the most fascinating cellists of his generation. After a classical education at the Conservatoire de Rennes, the native Frenchman is now based in Valencia. There he is one of the pioneers who established the fusion of the cello with the Spanish flamenco tradition - in particular with his band Jerez-Texas, with whom he has been touring the world since 2002. At the same time, Matthieu pursues numerous solo, duo and band projects and is a sought-after accompanist in a wide variety of formations. These include the trio NES, with whom he released the album Ahlam (2018) on the renowned German label ACT three years after its formation. Unanimously acclaimed by the international press, the trio is now playing intensively throughout Europe. Matthieu's qualities as a composer can also be heard regularly in original soundtracks for theater or television.
As an artist ambassador for the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, he is guided in his work by one goal above all: to open up a dialogue between his instrument and other cultures.
[Matthieu Saglio Solo - Live]
On stage, Matthieu Saglio presents a captivating combination of classical music traditions and distant sounds and rhythms that he brings back from his encounters around the world: In his compositions, echoes of Western cathedrals resound alongside the souks of the Maghreb, Latin American tango alongside Iberian flamenco. With the help of the sampler, Matthieu enters into a fascinating dialog with himself in live concerts. A basic line here, airy pizzicati there, complemented by a leitmotif in the bow... In this way, he succeeds in creating an original and elegant architecture that allows the emotional facets of the music to take precedence despite all the technical brilliance: "More than a cello. His music will accompany us with his emotional beauty for a long time. Maybe even forever" (Amancio Prada).
[Press on Matthieu Saglio Solo - Live]
"While a cello concert in theory could seem a little monotonous, the truth is that Matthieu proves quite the opposite and causes the listener to vibrate with the sounds that he manages to draw out with his instrument. (...) A delight. "World Music
[New album: El camino de los vientos]
Ten years after his successful cello solo project, in 2019 it was finally time for another musical review. Matthieu took the opportunity to delve deep inside himself, to reflect on and explore his own career: It is a unique and peculiar path that has followed changing winds, allowing itself to be blown in different directions. A path that is an inspiration and at the same time only reveals its secrets to those who walk it. The result is an intimate musical work of art that was released by ACT in 2020 under the title El camino de los vientos (The Path of the Winds).
As you would expect, the album vibrates with the many influences that have shaped the identity of the composer and cellist over the years. To give substance to this unique universe, Matthieu invited musical companions to help shape this project. The guests include not only his three sons, but also long-standing colleagues and numerous European jazz greats, who put their personal, inimitable and unmistakable stamp on the recording: Nguyên Lê (guitar), Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet), Carles Benavent (bass guitar), Vincent Peirani (accordion), Bijan Chemirani (percussions), Léo Ullmann (violin), Ricardo Esteve (flamenco guitar), and many more.
"Saglio's vibrant tone, touch and technique stand out on every track, but, impressively, never at the expense of his guests." **** Financial Times (UK)
In live performances Matthieu is 'only' accompanied by his quartet, but he could not have better partners at his side with the congenial Steve Shehan (percussion), Christian Belhomme (keyboard & piano) and Léo Ullmann (violin).
The result is a varied program through which Matthieu's cello runs like a common thread. His compositions combine solos and jazzy improvisations with pieces of a more classical style and a hint of soundtrack. Then again you hear African rhythms, Arabic quarter tones and flamenco "palos"... this is exactly how a twenty-year journey full of adventures, musical and human encounters sounds, which cannot be divided into genres: A wonderfully personal way of looking at the world, beauty and human interaction.
"A vital dialogue between cultures and an accomplished album that acts as a showcase for Saglio's prodigious talent." * * * * * Songlines (GB)
[Matthieu Saglio Quartet : El camino de los vientos
Cellist Matthieu Saglio ("the cello with a thousand accents") can look back on an eventful musical career, with twenty albums and hundreds of concerts in over thirty countries. Now he is presenting his new CD "El camino de los vientos" (The Way of the Winds) on the renowned German record label ACT.
While the album features a variety of musical guests, Matthieu is accompanied in live performances by his quartet 'de Luxe'. With the congenial Steve Shehan (percussion), Christian Belhomme (keyboard & piano) and Léo Ullmann (violin), he couldn't have better partners at his side].
[Press on Elcamino de los vientos:]
"El camino de los vientos allows us to travel to musical places of great beauty." London Jazz News (UK)
"Top 10 album of the month." TRANSGLOBAL WORLD MUSIC CHART (INT)
"World jazz, calm and poetic. Album of the month." ***** Stereo (DE)
"Life-affirming music that one does not get enough of." LIRA (SE)
"The masterpiece album." ERT Kosmos (GR )
"A varied musical journey through the Mediterranean, Africa and Asia." **** Jazzthetik (DE)
"It is a Mediterranean album of the Mediterranean dream of a cultural entity. Everything is very calm and fluent and that's what makes this album so graceful... with a considerable number of celebrity guest musicians. Album of the week." WDR3 (DE)
"A brilliantly composed and played sound carpet that invites you on a worldwide musical journey." Der Kulturblog (DE)
"Editor's picks - albums of the year 2020" STEREO (DE)
"Going on a journey and staying at home: The music by Matthieu Saglio is so finely spun, comes across so relaxed that we think we are in a hammock from which we can explore the world." ORF, 'Spielräume' (AT)
"A subtle Mediterranean blend with refreshing esprit that blows like a warm south wind." BR5 (DE)
