RIVIERE NOIRE

No doubt,water and music share the same DNA, made of crystal clear drops and troubled, dark, mysterious depths. A life long river...
This is where Jean Lamoot Pascal Danae and Orlando Morais soaked their heart and soul drinking inspiration from Mali, land of so much spirituality and joy. River Niger is where the trio's first album was baptized.

It was all an accident. Or was it? Riviere noire story began in 2009. At the time, everyone had already demonstrated its dazzling talent, reached the end of a journey. Then an impalpable, yet deep push brought Pascal, Jean and Orlando together, each one of them bringing his own musical experience, intuition, and generosity.

Orlando first expressed his crave for Africa. The Brazilian singer had always enriched his life with beautiful musical encounters. He'd recorded nine albums, had worked with Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethania and several other international artists. Always, talent and openness guided his steps and choices, his voice , graceful and fragile, powerful yet warm. Riviere Noire: The place where he could let the melodies and words pour over him completely, in the most organic way, eyes closed, back to the beginning of things, just like chanting.
Freedom. Orlando met Pascal, whose first album solo he'd enjoyed so much!

Pascal, guadeloupean guitarist / singer-songwriter , globetrotter, claimed a passion for the blues, that of Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Toure. His compositions intimate and stripped right down to the essence bear the stamp of a soft and enveloping melancholy, the smile of malian people. His ancestors? Pascal, suggested immediately to associate Jean Lamoot to the project. They've had a great time working together on Souad Massi's album “Mesk Elil”.

Jean, the goldsmith. He 'd produced plethora of great albums, French and international: Mr. Bashung, Noir Desir, Salif Keita, Nneka to only name a few... Sound engineer, producer, and bass player, he could make a record sound really modern yet timeless, like a classic. However, his desire to compose, play, and be part of a band was never fulfilled...There was his chance! Besides, Jean had left a part of himself in Africa .The pale skin boy, son of expatriates, who had spent his childhood between Burundi Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Rwanda was dying to go home.

The first time, Orlando, Pascal and Jean get together in Jean's studio, at Ferber, Paris. They barely speak and almost immediately begin to play together. Five songs are composed and recorded within hours. The call of Mali is already being felt, its breath inhabits each song. It becomes obvious that the next chapter will be written there...

Riviere Noire is born. In Mali, perceptions are different, magnified. It is a great place to draw closer to your heart and secret feelings.The band settles for 10 days in Salif Keita's studio Moffou in Bamako. A film crew comes along to capture the magic. Chemistry then continues, as the band meet with great local artists. One by one, they instinctively merge their voices, their stories, their instruments to the trio's fabric.

The harmonies of the calabash, the dum dum, the kora, the Kamela Ngoni... Iconic griots as Bako Dagnon, Kassemady Diabate and younger generation of Malian singers such as Altine Tamboura, Yakou . Each piece has its own breathing, its own dynamics, and heat, inherent to Mali and its people seems to instill an eternal glow. Frenzy follows peace. Refinement ,roughness. Space, huge sky, infinity, and the river, majestic, stretches and holds time helping the trio in their so human and musical quest. Negra Mali, Abarika, Bate Longe and so many more titles. Portuguese, creole and dialects together speak of love, ancient memories, the salty taste of tears, light and hope too...

End of 2011, Riviere Noire has already set for Brazil through several TV appearances and a live DVD recording by the lakeside in Brasilia. The band will soon meet his European audience, with several concerts and the release of a five tracks EP. New songs, new collaborations, are already planned.

The river, meanwhile, keeps flowing. Thanks to Jean, Orlando and Pascal, you can finally feel it, flowing within yourself, comforting proof, in these troubled times, that you are still very much alive…