Vincent Peirani

UPCOMING ALBUM (2027) - "JOKERS - MUJŌ (無常) "

Like all popular music, jazz is associated with strong personalities. International recognition of accordionist Vincent Peirani rests on that essential, fundamental quality. His musical charisma, his very distinctive creative skills, his unique approach to his art – all of which are the fruit of a very open, unblinkered attitude – strike the listener immediately.

After brilliant studies in classical music (many international awards), his dive into the world of jazz received the seal of success from the start and was crowned at the Victoires du Jazz in 2014 (“Revelation”) and 2015 (“Artist of the Year”). Vincent Peirani has the ability to turn everything he touches into gold: in jazz, of course (his own projects, but also collaborations with Daniel Humair, Michel Portal, and others), but also in chanson (Sanseverino, Les Yeux Noirs), film music (composer for Mathieu Almaric’s Barbara in 2017), and so on. Whatever the style, the public follows: in his performances, he creates a balance between the relatively straightforward (inventive revivals of well-known themes) and a blessed unexpectedness, with art music and popular music very close to each other, a sign of great artistry.

The man who, ten years ago, completely renewed the language of the accordion (and continues to do so) has become a major artist, whose uninhibited, cosmopolitan view of music and sense of instrumental combination and colour, enable him to bring that rare and precious magical touch to everything he does.

LIVING BEING

With ‘Living Being IV: Time Reflections’, Vincent Peirani and his quintet present a work deeply rooted in the reflection and musical exploration of time. Composed of Émile Parisien, Tony Paeleman, Yoann Serra and Julien Herné, this new project invites us to explore a sound where each note is imbued with the complexity and nuances of the rhythm of life.

Born in the particular context of the first months of the Covid pandemic, this record is the fruit of a moment of forced pause for Vincent Peirani, a break in his daily life that led him to meditate on the way in which time shapes our lives and our perception of the world.

‘Living Being IV - Time Reflections’ is a mosaic of contemporary beats and echoes of traditional dance, with a nod to baroque music, which finds an unexpected and poetic place here.

Vincent Peirani's collaborations with artists from diverse backgrounds add an intertextual dimension to his music. In this album, the influences of Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke and German pianist Michael Wollny are clearly evident in two tracks specially dedicated to them.

These resonances illustrate the richness and diversity that characterise Peirani's work, offering a musical experience that is both introspective and universal.

JOKERS - MUJŌ (無常)

Mujō (無常) is a Japanese word that means impermanence: the idea that nothing remains static and that everything that is alive is constantly subject to change and transformation. A journey through different soundscapes, exploring contrasts, breaks, and unique textures. It is precisely in this vein that the trio decided to invite Julien Herné—a longtime collaborator in the Living Being quintet, as well as a producer and sound engineer—to push them to their limits, refine their sonic identity, and delve even deeper into the exploration of texture and depth. Vincent Peirani spent over a year preparing the album: exploring the sound of the instruments, rethinking the arrangements, questioning certain habits, and seeking out the unique identity of each track.

When Federico Casagrande on guitar and Ziv Ravitz on drums joined the process, this exploration became a collective effort. New instruments, percussion, objects, and unusual recording setups: the musicians were sometimes taken outside their comfort zones. It was never about experimenting for the sake of experimentation, but rather about creating the conditions that would allow something unexpected to emerge, while preserving the trust, interaction, and strong musical personalities that have always defined Jokers’ identity. This idea of transformation runs throughout the entire album.

Throughout Mujō, seemingly opposing elements continually come together: East and West, composition and improvisation, order and chaos, control and surrender, constraint and freedom, memory and becoming. Rather than abandoning the sound of Jokers, the trio uses everything it has built over the years as a starting point for something new. Mujō is thus perhaps less an album about change than an album born of change: an exploration of how a band can remain deeply true to itself while refusing to simply replicate what it already knows how to do.