“This is one of the great underutilized instrumentations in jazz, and I’ve never heard it rendered quite like this.” – Giovanni Russonello, New York Times
The François Moutin & Kavita Shah Duo project is a meeting of minds and spirits, one that embraces virtuosity, spontaneity, and lyricism through a repertoire of standards and original music adapted to the unique instrumentation of acoustic bass and voice. At Hungry Brain, François and Kavita will present their first record „Interplay,“ released in February 2018 on Dot Time Records. „Interplay,“ recorded at Sear Sound Studios in New York and Le Studio de Meudon in Paris, features 11 tracks ranging from classics like Edith Piaf’s „La Vie en Rose“ to instrumental songs like Dafnis Prieto’s “Blah Blah” to original compositions by Shah and Moutin. The album also features special guests NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan on vocals, considered by many as the pioneer of the bass-and-voice duets, and legendary French pianist Martial Solal. The result is an improvisational journey across lyric-driven and wordless pieces alike.
François Moutin – acoustic bass
Kavita Shah – voice
FRANÇOIS MOUTIN, a virtuosic bassist, was born in Paris and received a doctorate in physics at the age of 24 before choosing to become a professional musician. He has been a member of the Martial Solal Trio for three decades and, since age 29, has co-led a string of projects with his twin brother Louis, most noticeably the Moutin Reunion Quartet and the presently active Moutin Factory Quintet. He regularly composes and tours regularly with this group around Europe & the United States. He has performed in every important European Jazz Festival and toured in over 30 countries around the world. In addition, François has worked with such musicians as: Jean Michel Pilc, André Ceccarelli, Antoine Hervé, Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, Toots Thielemans, James Moody, Terri Lyne Carrington, Michel Legrand, Birelli Lagrene, Jimmy Heath, Monty Alexander, Lew Soloff, Billy Hart, Ari Hoenig, Dave Binney, Adam Rogers, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Vijay Iyer, Amir El Saffar and Jack DeJohnette.
KAVITA SHAH is a vocalist, composer, and lifelong New Yorker who makes work in deep engagement with the jazz idiom while addressing and advancing its global sensibilities. Hailed by NPR for possessing an “amazing dexterity for musical languages,” Kavita incorporates her ethnographic work on Latin American, West African, and South Asian traditions into her music. Not unlike François, Kavita studied Romance Languages & Literatures at Harvard before pursuing a Master’s in jazz voice at Manhattan School of Music. In 2012, she was named Best Graduate Vocalist by Downbeat; in 2013, she won ASCAP’s Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award. Her 2014 debut VISIONS, co-produced by Lionel Loueke, was released to great critical acclaim, and her 2017 Park Avenue Armory premiere “Folk Songs of Naboréa” was named a Top 10 jazz concert of the year by Nate Chinen. Shah regularly performs her music at major concert halls, festivals, and clubs on six continents.