Stéphane Mercier's new album Syntropy will be out everywhere on November 15th with Nicola Andrioli (piano), Nicolas Thys (double bass), Dré Pallemaerts (drums).
Belgian tour on January 2024!
The album according to Stéphane Mercier :
The story behind this recording is astonishing. It happened on a Sunday. We met at 10am at the Jet studio in Brussels. The set-up was the opposite of current trends: we placed ourselves very close together, without separations, and above all without headphones, forcing us to listen attentively and concentrate.
We adjusted the sound fairly quickly so that we could quickly start recording the first takes.
The pizzas were quickly ordered and comfortably eaten. We took the time to talk about a few things before resuming.
All the tracks on this album were recorded between 2.30pm and 5pm, at which point we stopped the session, even though the studio was booked until 7pm.
We didn't resort to editing, and mistakes were kept as they were (listen to Dré's drumsticks fall to the floor during the exchanges between the band and the drums on Blizz!)
The first track, Fly, Fly, Rockets, was inspired by the up-tempo be-bop tunes of the day, but with a few harmonic twists. This is followed by a cover of one of the most beautiful ballads: Billie Preston's You Are So Beautiful, made popular by British singer Joe Cocker. Blizz next is a medium swing tune, also with a particular harmonic modulation, although the form is only eight bars long. Then comes Ipseity, opening with an impressionistic introduction by Nicola Andrioli. The rhythm section then moves into a solid slow tempo to welcome the flute. We emerge from the dream with the energetic Too Cool For School: a sort of Scofield/Eddie Harris boogaloo. Norma is a tribute to the shaman Norma Panduro Navarro, known for her icaro songs dictated by the ayahuasca (the Amazonian liana used to alter consciousness during ceremonies). Stéphane had fun using two of these chants and harmonising them to preserv
PAPER WALLS by @stephanemercier & @quantum.stereo now on YouTube feat. @stellaangelikamusic @stepbyrecords www.stepbyrecords.com
Stéphane Mercier - Quantum Stereo featuring Stella Angelika, Jason Rebello, Jack Gillen, Carl Corcoran, Nicolas Thys, Darren Beckett, Grégoire Maret & Loïc Dumoulin
www.stepbyrecords.com
Stéphane Mercier - Quantum Stereo featuring Stella Angelika, Jason Rebello, Carl Corcoran, Nicolas Thys, Darren Beckett, Jack Gillen, Grégoire Maret and Loïc Dumoulin.
www.stepbyrecords.com