SAMARABALOUF

The story of Samarabalouf begins in November 1997 at Amiens. That year the theme of the International film festival focused on gipsies, the people of the road. Francois PETIT, who had just recently moved to Amiens, had in his knapsack a few pieces written with his wife Isabelle on the string bass and Nicolas Ionas, a lcoal rhythm guitarist.
The trio played regulary on the stages of the region for 2 years ans decided to mark the year 2000 by producing their own album with the name Samarabalouf.

Some months later, the concerts increased in number and the trio began to gig in the different regions of France. Pierrot MARGERIN joined the group to take over the famous swinging rhythm guitare and Agnes Duvivier held the double bass chair.

Their second album came out in 2002. The trio gradually freed itself from the gipsy heritage to assert its own identity : the gipsy valse gave way to the "Valche folle" and the trio now started shredding to the rythms of the rumba, java and the boogie.
These new compositions did the tour of France and Belgium and the concerts began take on the air of a mad ball : feet tap, hands clap to the new threesome with the double bass dancing and vibrating under the hands of Luc AMBRY who joined Pierrot and Francois, making their current line-up.

In spring 2004 Samarabalouf flew off to Louisiana (Lafayette international festival) and in July hit Canada (Francofete at Moncton).

Between these 2 tours, the live album "Profitez-en" hit the shelveswith a special guest, the gipsy accordeonist Arnaud Van Lancker without whom the whole might never have started : it was playing with him in a bar in Lille that taught Francois's fingers the gipsy style.
Since this last album, the tours keep coming in France, Switzerland and the USA.

Their new album "Bababa" came out in 2008 and integrated differents sounds of voice. Polyglot women and men participed as Nosfell, Leila (Orange Blossom), Ange B (Fabulous Trobadors)...