The AKAGERA trio released their debut album ‘Serpente’ in 2019. The subtle blend of African music and jazz laid the foundations for a new sound driven by an unconventional ensemble of instruments. Their new album, ‘Traverse’, is the soundtrack to the imaginary travel diary of three intrepid musicians forced to put a hold on their adventures.
Over a period of three years, they took time out from improvisation sessions to collectively compose a repertoire reflecting the diversity of their backgrounds and influences: classical and contemporary music for Benoit, mixed music from South America and the Caribbean for Stéphane, and African rhythms and Brazilian grooves for David, all to the backdrop of their shared passion for jazz.
The Akagera Trio is a skilled and exciting new trio. With their completely original and instrumental sounds, we are taken on a musical stroll into a world of fierce but playful jazz with innovative orchestrations.
The trio was conceived as a tribute to the album AKAGERA, which was released in 1980 by the Humair-Jeanneau-Texier trio. This new trio aims to take us on a whole new journey.
Like their illustrious predecessors, the Akagera Trio draws its influences from African music (Akagera is the name of a natural reserve in Rwanda, on border with Tanzania) as well as jazz and contemporary music.