STÉPHANE GALLAND & (THE MYSTERY OF) KEM

STÉPHANE GALLAND & (THE MYSTERY OF) KEM

In ancient Egypt, Kem refers to the color Black, like the black, fertile mud of the Nile, and uproots the often negative connotations associated with the colour. It is in that symbolic earth that (the Mystery of) KEM cultivates new rhythmical aspects whose schemes, “dances” and improvisations take roots in the Yin and Yang complementarity of even and uneven rhythmical pulses.

For this journey, Stéphane Galland (Drums) is accompanied by talented musician Bram De Looze (piano). Guest musicians such as Sylvain Debaisieux (sax) and Federico Stocchi (bass) have already assisted them. For this project, Stéphane Galland once invited one of the world’s most prominent Carnatic flute players: Ravichandra Kulur (Ravi Shakar, Anoushka Shankar,…) from South India.

With (the Mystery of) KEM, he visits the rhythmical roots where all the musical traditions that he has rubbed together and integrated into his own language converge and explores a specific space that allows the integration of all these concepts without a priori or stylistic limitation. Welcome to the black and mysterious earth of KEM.

In his previous project, LOBI, Stéphane led a unique collaboration of some of the best musicians from their respective traditions (Balkan, Flamenco, Turkish, Armenian, African). With that project, he received considerable critical acclaim by jazz critics in Jazz Magazine, Jazz News, Le Soir, and many others, with the French specialised press concluding that LOBI is a “masterly example of what World Jazz should be.” Multicultural encounters and the enrichment of his own musical language and skills have always been the main drive behind Stéphane Galland’s music.