…Pitești in the center of Romania, Chișinău, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, is the memory of a train journey, a suspended fifteen hours. The time to indulge in reverie, the time for the musician to assimilate a tiny part of the richness of these notes and all these rhythms that have surged into his eager ears...
Within this quintet, Jean-Christophe Gairard brings together Jérémie Schare (guitar) and Nicolas Koedinger (double bass), members of the Clair de Lune trio (2006-2016), as well as accordionist Andreï Tasnicenco (accordion) and Romanian cymbalist Mihai Trestian, both natives of Moldova.
- Jean-Christophe Gairard: violin, viola, vocals
- Jérémie Schacre: guitar
- Andreï Tasnicenco: accordion
- Nicolas Koedinger: double bass
- Mihai Trestian: cymbalum
Listen
Live recording from a concert at the Musique dans la Rue festival in Aix-en-Provence, on August 23, 2023.
Joc din Aluniș (from Marin Cintilică)
Cine a pus cârciuma în drum (Romanian traditional)
Sîrba concertanta și Hora Spiccato (café-concert)
About the musicians
Andreï Tasnicenco. Trained in accordion in Moldova since his childhood, Andreï earned the gold medal at the Aix-en-Provence Conservatory upon his arrival in France. Many groups and artists from the South of France, such as Chico & the Gypsies or Poum Tchack, have since enlisted his talents. He introduces us to his style, a subtle blend of gypsy jazz, classical music, and Romani music with grace, feeling, and dexterity.
Jérémie Schacre. Gold medalist in classical guitar and chamber music from the Conservatoire of Aix-en-Provence, Jérémie has always been passionate about improvised music. Influenced by Django Reinhardt's style and his flamenco training under the guidance of master Juan Carmona, he, along with his violinist friend Jean-Christophe Gairard, founded the Clair de Lune trio specializing in Balkan music, particularly from Romania. From musical discoveries to traditional initiations, he self-taught himself in world music—fado and rebetiko (with the Greek singer Kalliroi Raouzeou's project); Romani and Bulgarian songs (with the Nova Zora ensemble); Russian music (with the Tchatchoski group); flamenco and Gypsy songs (with the Gypsy singer Negrita and the group Chico et les Gypsies). More information here.
Mihai Trestian. Born in Moldova, Mihai won the First Prize at the National Stepan Neaga Competition and the Barbu Lautare International Competition before becoming a member of the Tele Radio Chisinau Folclor Orchestra. After a residency at the Royaumont Abbey, he participated in Jean-Marc Padovani's Chants du Monde tours in 2000/2001. In 2002, composer Gerardo Jerezlecam hired him for his quartet, touring in France. Mihai Trestian has been living in France since 2007 and collaborates with the Daniel Givone ensemble and the renowned Ensemble Intercontemporain.
Nicolas Koedinger. He started playing the electric bass at the age of fifteen, self-taught. A year later, he joined the jazz class at the Marignane conservatory, directed by Yves Laplane. In 1998, he continued his education at the IMFP (Institut Musical Formation Professionnelle), studying alongside professors such as Gérard Maurin, André Villegier, Michel Zénino, etc. He took his first steps with the double bass, studied functional and modal harmony, improvisation, and developed a passion for composition. Captivated by his new instrument and its role in an orchestra, he had a real revelation listening to double bassists like Charles Mingus, Oscar Pettiford, and Scott La-Faro, who became his main influences. In 2007, Nicolas presented his own compositions to the jury of the National Conservatory of Marseille and unanimously received a gold medal. Throughout his journey, he collaborated with renowned jazz musicians such as the American saxophonist-flutist Abdu Salim, violinist Didier Lockwood, guitarist Tchavolo Schmitt, drummers Cédrick Bec and Christian "Tonton" Salut.