Louise Jallu "Jeu"
Origin: France
Louise Jallu is a leading figure on the bandoneon. Whether jazz, classical, contemporary or chanson, Louise Jallu effortlessly defies categorisation with her refined style, whilst never completely severing the narrative thread that links her to the spirit
Line-up
Louise Jallu – bandoneon, Karsten Hochapfel – guitar, Grégoire Letouvet – piano, Fender Rhodes, Alexandre Perrot – double bass
Artists
About us
Following her first two albums devoted to tango, bandoneonist Louise Jallu now tackles Schumann, Schönberg, Bach, Ravel and even Georges Brassens on her latest album, ‘Jeu’.
Just as she did with Piazzolla, on her latest album *Jeu* Louise Jallu and her bandoneon tackle the greats with confidence, ranging from classical composers (Schumann, Berg) to jazz, via more popular works (Ravel’s *Boléro*, Brassens)…
Louise’s highly personal arrangements sound like popular compositions.
There is passion and depth in her music, lament and hope, strength and tenderness.
A interplay of light and shade between folk traditions and cultural heritage.
A performance rooted as much in intuition as in scholarship.
A bold assertion of freedom, breaking free from influential figures to offer a wholly different kind of modernity and take us… elsewhere!
Music that transcends styles, borders and generations, both here and elsewhere.
Following the success of her first two acclaimed and multi-award-winning albums, *Francesita* (2019) and *Piazzolla Nuevo* (2021), the young bandoneonist Louise Jallu, aged 29, is now recognised as a performer and composer with a discerning musical vision, whose future projects are eagerly anticipated.
With these two projects, she has graced stages renowned in the worlds of classical, jazz and contemporary music (Philharmonie de Paris, Jazz in Marciac, Scène nationale La Filature, Abbaye de Noirlac, etc.)
Having modernised the tango, it was only natural that a deeper exploration and expansion of modern musical styles and trends should lie at the heart of her new project: JEU.
It was during her residency at the Villa Medici in Rome that her sonic and modal dramaturgy truly blossomed.
The starting point here was no longer a repertoire, an aesthetic or a theme, but rather her need to express herself in the present tense and to embrace plurality.
From then on, each composition has emerged from a desire, a thread she follows, focusing not on a single direction but on vibration and textures.
A disconcerting intelligence in her writing that is enriched and brought to life on stage, nourished by her readings and encounters, whether emotional or intellectual… Like a canvas woven from sensations that offers a thoroughly organic experience on stage, whilst remaining true to the rigour and high standards of her origins.
Like a jeweller, Louise Jallu breaks down the old, selects her materials with precision, assembles them with finesse, and juxtaposes them with elegance and power.
The virtuosic and mischievous dialogue between the various instruments overflows with poetry, strength and imagination.
A piano with a classical sound, a double bass rumbling with its jazzy side, an electric guitar with a rock edge and a drum kit that flirts with contemporary music, all led by the bandoneon, which ingeniously ties the whole thing together and breaks it apart. This is precisely where Louise Jallu’s strength lies: knowing how to surround herself with the right people to offer us music that transcends boundaries.
Each track unveils a new landscape, inviting a fresh way of listening – like an invitation to challenge, move and surprise on the spot.
Gallery
