Unison by Aka Moon

Since 1992 Aka Moon has recorded 16 albums, of which 15 were created as a duo in collaboration with other artists and, in one instance, as a trio. The protean side of the group's work is a witness to its open spirit and its affinity for discovery. The musical group has, in the last 20 years, accumulated invitations of prestigious musicians and, through this collaboration, succeeded in escaping the more traditional paths usually chosen by a trio. Always intent on returning to their sources, Fabrizio Cassol, Michel Hatzigeorgiou and Stéphane Galland do however feel the need - or even the urge - to privilege their initial configuration on stage as well as on CD in order to expose their musical maturity, a quality that has been acquired over time and throughout their joint experience. Be it the joy of finding something new or simply the pleasure of playing: the perspective of a new studio recording has guided the trio's musical research for a long time, and it has succeeded in transforming the stages of their recent performances in fertile grounds for experimentation. After having taken advantage of all available resources in polyrhythmics and polyphonics, which have defined the outlines of its musical language, Aka Moon developed a more precise sound and created a much denser atmosphere for this anniversary CD. Their "Private Tour" (2010), which among others made them play in private salons, is not a stranger to this new desire to transpose and explicit through sound the intimacy of private concerts. "Unison" is the sixth work of the group that appears in the "Open" collection of the Cypres label, with whom the musicians have been working since 2006. From March onward, the release of the CD will be accompanied by a a tour as a trio that will lead the musicians outside of Belgium to perform in France, the Netherlands, Algeria and China.

Since their debut in 1992, it has been hard to imagine the Belgian jazz scene without the innovative Aka Moon. Their refreshing approach to jazz gives the trio a highly distinctive sound. Since their first encounter with the Aka Pygmies in 1992, Aka Moon’s focus has shifted towards various different African, Indian, Maghrebian, Cuban, Arab, Afro-American and European traditions.