Press Release • CONNIE & BLYDE 2017

PRESS RELEASE

CONNIE & BLYDE :: For more than 3 years now, Caroline Sentis and Bruno Ducret, gave birth to this singular Voice and Cello duet: Connie & Blyde. A purified instrumentation, almost acoustic, than enlarge their composition possibilities, and allows them to drive the public in a universe where the attentiveness is aroused through silence, and silences, like a tale or a story telling.

Connie & Blyde comprehend music with freedom of speech and a ''no boundaries'' state of mind, mixing oneirism and charm, between Jazz, songs and poetry.

With “La Mer Électrique” -“The Electric Sea”-, the duet offers a contrasted trip, driven by a friendly energy, velvet songs and carnal shake up…For their first album, they invited Matthieu Metzger and Marc Ducret.

United in the common will of deconstructing genres, chamber music stands alongside electrified fury, the central theme beeing the piece “La Mer Électrique”, re-arranged 3 times, in 3 different atmospheres.

Noticed with their first EP ‘‘Blanc’’ in 2014 then ‘‘Ultradécor’’ in 2016, the duet has been selected in 2015 In the “Résidences de création Jazz en LR” (now Jazz in Occitanie) and played in Jazz à Junas, Jazzèbre and Jazz à Millau.

They also played in the Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, and with Heymoonshaker in the Internationales de la Guitare Festival in Montpellier and at the Café de la Danse in Paris.

For ''La Mer Electrique''’s release concert in the concert venue The Jam in Montpellier, the duet revealed it’s new scenography created by designer Jérôme Dacher. They also turned into a septet, showing their will to orchestrate, arrange, invite, expand, share their music in many forms.

The artist Maxime Borowski had free rein to illustrate the album’s book. The exhibit of “The Electric Sea” is now available. No doubt than Connie & Blyde is preparing a surprising tour, as much as poetic.

PRESS EXTRACT :: Xavier Prévost - Jazz magazine ‘‘Singular duet: a singer with (very) good text, a cellist that mostly play pizzicato, in a jazz language. Beautiful voice beautiful talent of elocution and interpretation, and strong expressivity. On Cello’s side, the force of expressivity is also very sharp and the notes choices, and rhythmic accents are outstanding.

The musical interaction is permanent and the voice/text/cello convergence is perfect.’’

Céline Cauvi - Let’s Motiv’ ‘‘Talented and groundbreaking. We love that they embrace french songs without overdoing it. Intimacy and literature are Connie & Blyde’s evidence.’’

Le Musicodrome ‘‘Connie and Blyde hypnotised Jam’s public tonight. Like if everything had been interpreted in a jewellery box, a single whisper could have shattered the chrysalis of this beautiful duet.‘‘

©Loïc Spriet - Novembre 2016 - Monpellier (34)

CAROLINE SENTIS :: Singer Caroline is a singing artist from Montpellier. Self-taught woman, she joins in 2010 the Jazz Conservatory of Montpellier where she learns by Serge Lazarevitch for 5 years.

Exploring her voice as an instrument, she treats Harmony and Rhythm just like a pianist, or drummer.

Alongside her musical path, she also studies fine arts in the University Paul Valéry, Montpellier III. She hears music as colours, forms, tensions and emotions. Influenced by Björk, Camille, Claire Diterzi, but also Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Karim Ziad, John Coltrane, her conception of music has no boundaries.

In 2013 she builds Connie & Blyde with Bruno Ducret. She also songs in the Banan’N Jug’s quartet and in another duet with Double Bassist Gabrielle Khoellheffer. In 2016 Joins the Collectif Koa in Montpellier.

BRUNO DUCRET :: Celliste Cellist, Guitarist, Composer and Arranger Bruno Ducret is just like many musicians of its generation, influenced by an infinite amount of different music, and claims a no boundaries free Jazz.

Raised in a family of musicians, he starts music at the age of 6, and ends his studies in 2014 after achieving Conservatories of Montreuil sous bois, Nimes and Montpellier.

From there, various projects and bands grow, He plays with a lot of different musicians such as Tom Gareil, Juan Rosoff, Matthieu Metzger, D’ de Kabal, and with his family: Marc Ducret, Hélène Labarrière, Jacky Molard and Dominique Pifarely.

Alongside Connie & Blyde, he also plays in traditional music bands like the Collectif La Guiguinche, chamber music string quartet like La Belle à Bartok, folk music in the eponymous band Louis Guiyoule free jazz in a quartet with Gérald Chevillon, Patrick Soletti et Arnaud Lemeur or trio Marlboro Bled with Fred Gastard and Maxime Rouayroux.

He is also Guitarist in the noise Rock band Adolf Hibou and Grand Grand Trio, a Jazz core band he created.

Finally, his desire of conceiving music as a dialogue drives him in various artistic forms. He then flirts with Theatre with Laurent Poitrenau in the show Morse by Marc Ducret and Sarah Lee Lefevre, and in Variations sur le modèle de Kraeplin by Davide Carnevali with Thomas Gonzales, Fréderic Fisbach and Joffrey Carey, but also Dance with the Compagnie Christophe Haleb in Atlas/Fama and Dynamo, and dancer Jofe D’Mahl of Collectif de l’Éternuée with whom he creates the show ‘‘Planter des clous’’.

DISCOGRAPHY First album ‘‘La Mer Electrique’’ march 2017 Guest : Matthieu Metzger & Marc Ducret Artwork : Maxime Borowski EP Blanc September 2014

EP Ultradécor January 2016

NOTEWORTHY CONCERTS :: Contest -

Pré-sélection Jazz Migration 2016 Résidence de création Jazz en LR in Théâtre of Allègre Les Fumades (30) Winner of springboard la GAMME (34) Laureate of springboard La Manufacture Chanson (75)

Concerts 2016 - 2017 -

Printival Boby Lapointe - Pézenas (34) La Menuiserie - Pantin (93) Le Café de la Danse with Heymoonshaker - Paris (75) L’Antirouille with Ethioda - Montpellier (34) Festival de Radio France et Montpellier Occitanie (34) Jazz à Junas (30) Festival Voix Vives de Méditerranée en Méditerranée - Sète (34) Maison pour Tous Voltaire - Montpellier (34) Festival Jazzèbre - Calce (66) Scène Nationale de Sète et du bassin de Thau (34) L’Atelier du Plateau (75)

Noteworthy concerts 2014 - 2015 -

Rencontres ProJazz & Musiques du Monde - St Jean de Védas (34) Internationales de la Guitare with Heymoonshaker - Montpellier (34) Festival Faites de la Chanson à Arras (62) Rencontres Koa Jazz with Grand Ensemble Koa - Le Jam (34) Les Rendez-vous Jazz de Jazz à Junas à la SMAC Paloma - Nîmes (30) Le Bric à Brac with Hélène Labarrière and Marc Ducret - Montpellier (34)

CONNIE & BLYDE IS SUPPORTED :: -By Collectif Jazz en LR and its diffusion poles: Jazz à Junas (30), Jazzèbre (66) and La Scène Nationale de Sète et du Bassin de Thau (34).

- By La Maison de l’Eau, Théâtre d’Allègre Les Fumades (30) in the Résidence de création Jazz en LR. - By photographers Bertrand Derulle, Loïc Spriet and Frank Bigotte from Citizen Jazz.

- By Réseau en Scène with the ‘‘help of artistic and financial risk shot for programmers’’ - By SPEDIDAM and Collectif Jazz en LR’s partnership. Connie & Blyde can benefit an assistance for Touring.

40% to 50% of the artist’s salaries can be taken care of.

Contact management Sandrine Le Maléfant • sandrine@laboiteasandrine.com • 06 74 74 14 31 www.laboiteasandrine.com