Jazz enlivens sultry Sunday

It is not everyday that the City gets to experience mu­sical extravaganzas such as the one that recently happened at Alliance Francaise de Delhi.

The audience couldn’t have asked for a better way to welcome the monsoon. ‘Electric Suites’, the jazz violin concert by Gu­­i­­­llaume Blanc was nothing short of a magical experience.

Guillaume began his concert with a soft number and soon let out powerful pieces from his kitty that had the audience going into a trance. ‘Electric Suites’ was all about an interaction between him, his violin and his music.

The renditions that were presented by Guillaume were an electic mix of reco­rded acoustic music on his laptop that he blended with some live violin renditions.

“Each piece of music that I presented in the concert was a mix of tradition and contemporary. I have also added a lot of Indian beats along with several influences from the Eastern Europe folklore to bring out the resonance of many cultures that has tou­ch­ed my life,” said Guillaume during the event.

Guillaume, a violinist and a composer was born in 1981 and began playing te instrument when he was just five years old. After studying classical violin, he learned musical aesthetics by joining the class of the great violinist and teacher of jazz improvisation Didier Lockwood.

Since 2001, he has participated in many music and film projects that allowed him to perform regularly both in France and abroad.

He was invited as a soloist by famous French artistes, such as Spo­rto Kantes, Didier Lockwood, André Ceccarelli, Jool, Louis Winsberg, The Rabeats.

Since 2005, he has been playing his own compositions in various formations – a delicate mix of jazz and other musical styles, with a subtle touch of folklore.

Guillaume holds a national degree in violin teaching, and teaches violin and viola in several conservatories in France.