Portico Quartet

The 10th annual festival "Jazz à St.Germain des Prés" is in full swing in Paris, and Madame M suggested we take in one of the free concerts offered today at the Hotel Lutetia. Upon arrival however, we discovered there had been a misprint on the schedule of events and the concert was not free, in fact the tariff was 23 euro! Just a little disappointed as we are both trying to watch our budgets, we nearly abandoned our plans, but ultimately decided to pay the price and see what the Portico Quartet had to offer. It turned out to be an excellent decision, and worth every centime. Generally speaking I am more inclined toward swing, bebop, and the standards than "free jazz", but the Portico Quartet has a talent for blending melody, unusual sounds that leave you at once suprised and delighted with a haunting emotion. Considering themselves to be more "indie rock" than free jazz, this young band of musicians in their twenties posess a sophistication beyond their years. Winners of a Mercury Prize nomination and a recording session at the Abbey Road studios with producer and talent scout John Leckie, they were signed by Peter Gabriel to his Real World label. They released their first album in April, entitled "Isla", and are enjoying great success touring Europe. Join me in the audience on my Youtube channel Bonbondeparis, and if you like what you hear you can find them on MySpace or simply Google "Portico Quartet."