Retro suits, suspenders, slicked back hair, one rants in a learned tone the great moments of the heroic epic of jazz, which his shaggy-looking acolyte strives, against all odds, to illustrate by playing seven instruments (including voice). It is a curious baptism of fire on sound waves that we are given to witness. Two musicians who have become radio hosts despite themselves, find themselves telling, as best they can, in front of the public who have invaded their studio, the history of this music through the decades. Fear of live performance, stage fright, unhealthy shyness, nagging guilt as a second-rate musician, technical problems and short circuits, nothing will be spared them.
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Their frantic air, however, is only the prelude to the musical outburst that will follow, and which, from blues to bossa nova, transforms the taciturn leather circle into a unleashed artist and the self-conscious singer-host into a beast of stage, which carries its audience with it. As unpredictable as a jazz improvisation, this delightful piece arouses hilarity, curiosity, musical exaltation and emotion.
Professional musicians, Augustin Ledieu and Matthias Lauriot Prévost fit perfectly into their acting costumes, and lend their nervous and inhabited humanity to these roles, which are more subtle than they appear. Sandrine Righeschi’s staging, full of discoveries, contributes to making this funny intrigue a moment of stage jubilation, while the virtuosity of the two jazzmen does justice to the genius of the anonymous pioneers as well as the great names of jazz, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Benny Goodman… The whole range of emotions brought together in an hour of show: one of the most refreshing discoveries of this Parisian season! Zzaj, Le Grand Point Virgule, 8 bis rue de l’Arrivée, 75015 Paris. Tel: 01 42 78 77 03.www.legrandpointvirgule.com. Wednesdays March 6 and 13, at 7:15 p.m. Show duration: 1 hour.
