Petite Fleur: The Music of Sidney Bechet

5-STARS Steve Lacy, one of the great innovators of jazz, considered Sidney Bechet to be a genius, New York clarinettist David Krakauer repeatedly paid him a musical tribute, now Dave Liebman, who played in groups of the greatest jazz fans such as John Coltrane, Elvin Jones, and Miles Davis reaches for his compositions. In 2011, Liebman received the prestigious American award Master of Jazz, awarded to the most important jazzmen. When the musicians of such a format reach for the compositions of the New Orleans giant, it is worth devoting some time to the effect of such a meeting.

Sidney Bechet was born in New Orleans in May 1897, in a Creole family. His family belonged to the middle class. Father Omar, who was a shoemaker, played for flute enjoyment. Music played a big role in his family home. His four brothers were also playing music. Learning from an early age he was making such fast progress that he played in New Orleans teams as a child.

As a young man, he accompanied Satchmo himself, but it was Europe that turned out to be the real homeland of Bechet, after his success at the Paris Salle Pleyel Jazz Festival he moved to France, where he composed his most famous song "Little Flower (Petite Fleur)". He became a great hit in 1959, when the recording of Chris Barber's Jazz Band "Petite Fleur" was released in the USA. The melody of this instrumental hit attracted many singers like a magnet, and there were French and Spanish lyrics that sang, among others Henri Salvador.

The album "Petite Fleur: The Music of Sidney Bechet" is a very intimate, intimate story by Liebman, playing soprano, piano and flute, and John Stowell, playing on various guitars. Liebman and Stowell have created a partner duo, in which both voices sound equally, and the communication is quick and clear, in such a duet cast, the space to present the whole rich range of reverb of both instruments is significantly widening. And that both of them can use their instruments in an interesting way, they have already proved many times. They create a narrative in which every sound has meaning and influences the forming aura and climate with an impressive impact force.
Both musicians fascinated by the art of the New Orleans genius, do not try to blindly follow the master, their concept is not limited only to the extraction of only individual motifs from his compositions, here and there expand them beyond the swollen sequences. Two instruments create a multi-colored musical fabric in which humorous moments also appear.

*Translated from Polish