Live in Marciac

by Scott YanowAs a young teenager, guitarist Bireli Lagrene was a remarkable soundalike of Django Reinhardt. As he neared age 20, he largely tossed away his role model and delved into fusion and rock. By the time of this 1994 concert, Live in Marciac (a trio outing with bassist Chris Minh Doky and drummer André Ceccarelli), Lagrene had returned to straight-ahead jazz but (except for an occasional hint) he no longer did Reinhardt impressions, even on "Nuages." Lagrene actually comes closer to Barney Kessel in spots, although he mostly sounds fairly original. The well-played performance includes such numbers as "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" (which is over ten-and-a-half-minutes long), "Donna Lee," "Blues Walk" and "I Got Rhythm." An excellent example of Lagrene's playing of the mid-'90s.