“Crossing genres and audiences is what these two do and do superbly…. underscored why being at a live concert can mean so much more than listening to a CD.” Boston Musical Intelligencer
Latest CD Release: INFUSION Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux and internationally acclaimed composer, bandoneón
ist, and accordionist Julien Labro have released their second duo album, Infusion, on Azica Records. Classical Guitar Magazine writes, “Always on the hunt for something a little different, Jason Vieaux teams up with French accordion/bandoneon phenom Julien Labro for an invigorating program” Infusion includes Labro’s arrangements of Leo Brouwer’s Tres Danzas Concertantes and Piazzolla’s Escualo, his arrangement of Radamés Gnattali’s Suite Retratos with bassist Peter Dominguez and percussionist Jamey Haddad, Pat Metheny’s Antonia, and Vieaux’s arrangement of iconic 1980s British rock band Tears for Fears’ Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
Cleveland Classical calls Jason and Julien “the dynamic duo”. Full review here.
Listen to the track premiere of Pat Metheny’s Antonia here.
Jason Vieaux and Julien Labro have joined forces to create an exciting new concert experience. From the dance halls of Buenos Aires to the heat of Cuba, Vieaux and Labro take the listener on a Latin-inspired journey through the works of Piazzolla, Gnattali, Brouwer, and others. The duo has recorded Piazzolla’s Four Season of Buenos Aires with A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra, as part of Jason and Julien’s all-Piazzolla CD on Azica Records. Programming with orchestra also includes Piazzolla’s Libertango (in a Labro arrangement) and Canvas, the new concerto for guitar and bandoneon by Julien Labro.
Sample Jason & Julien Program:
Astor Piazzolla, Histoire du Tango
Tears For Fears, Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Pat Metheny, Antonia
Radamés Gnatalli, Suite Retratos
Leo Brouwer, Tres Danzas Concertantes
More:
Everybody Wants to Rule the World!– the latest from Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux and virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Julien Labro on accordina live in Cleveland. This performance of the epochal new wave hit by Tears for Fears gets a jazzy turn by these two masters of arrangement and improvisation. “We always try to pick repertoire from different genres, things that you might not expect our combination of instruments to play,” says Julien. And for the Piazzolla lovers, the duo’s arrangement of Escualo with Julien on accordion has been personalized a bit, “we’ve come up with a version that touches on Reggae and a little Beyoncé.” Check out the red-hot Escualo here…Boston Musical Intelligencer
“Jason Vieaux and accordionist Julien Labro took the stage of the Herbst Theatre on October 20 for a spectacular demonstration of how many ways their two instruments could converse, conspire, and ultimately soar with one another. Part of this year’s San Francisco Performance series, long-time collaborators Vieaux and Labro offered an all-20th-century program ranging from Bulgaria to Brazil, with each selection showcasing the palpable delight each of them takes in playing as a duo.” San Francisco Classical Voice
“If you haven’t yet turned on to this great, new guitarist, I have to wonder what you’re waiting for. Teaming with Labro for this second tango duo set, no one playing currently can recreate Argentine harbor drams better than these two. A wild, wily set that blows your ears open, this is high priority listening anytime you want to feel like a grown up. Utter dazzlement without relying on pyrotechnics, this duo has it all on the ball. Killer stuff.” [CD Review: Infusion]
Midwest Record
“The duo give a sublime performance of Pat Metheny’s Antonia featuring heartfelt, extended solos by Labro on the accordina.”
ClevelandClassical.com
“…this disc is a boatload of fun, not to mention that the playing is spectacular from all involved.” “The result is quite irresistible.”[CD Review: Infusion]
Soundboard
“Infusion is distinguished by the virtuosic playing of guitarist Jason Vieaux and bandoneónist and accordionist Julien Labro, but it’s the imaginative choice of material that makes their second duo album something truly special.” Full Review
Textura
“Vieaux’s and Labro’s high-energy playing perfectly captures the Tango Nuevo flavor of the Argentine masters.”
ClevelandClassical.com
“In the hands of two accomplished musicians who are well-versed in both classical and jazz, Vieaux and Labro’s performance captured the essence of Tango Nuevo.”
ClevelandClassical.com
About Julien:
“Brilliant accordionist”
Chicago Tribune
“While all the cats can play, Labro stands out.”
Jazz & Blues Report
About Jason:
“…one of America’s premier guitarists”
Fort-Worth Star-Telegram
“stately, sharply articulated and subtly driven”
New York Times
“[a] spirited and expressive guitarist”
The New Yorker
“…perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation.” NPR
Charleston Gazette-Mail 4/2017 “Vieaux played with fiery vigor and technical brilliance.” “These had a distinctive bite in Vieaux’s hands, indicative of his flair for style and substance.” [Rodrigo, Sierra concertos]
ClevelandClassical.com 12/2016 “Vieaux’s and Labro’s high-energy playing perfectly captures the Tango Nuevo flavor of the Argentine masters.”
Washington Post 10/2016 “Every note comes out fully formed, but nothing he does feels premeditated…”
San Jose Mercury News 5/2016 “played with terrific commitment”
San Francisco Classical Voice 5/2016 “excellent performance throughout”
New York Classical Review 4/2016 “Tautly played by Jason Vieaux, the guitar line fizzed with energy… A more alert, precise reading can hardly be imagined.”
Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/2016 “This terrific guitarist, a Philadelphia favorite, worked wonders with Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez”
New York Times, 2/2015 “virtuosic, flamboyant, dashing and, sometimes ineffably lyrical.”
Boston Musical Intelligencer 5/2015 “…five classical pros…”
“Add Jason Vieaux to the Escher String Quartet and it becomes inarguable that there is a very deep sensitivity to what all the members are doing.”
Albuquerque Journal 11/2014 “natural fluency, idiomatic phrasing and superb technique.”
Tulsa World 10/2014 “Vieaux combines a surprisingly sharp, percussive attack with fingering of such fluid precision to create a truly singing tone that gave this very familiar music the sort of energy that made it sound fresh and new.”
NPR Music’s 50 Favorite Songs Of 2014 “perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation.”
ClevelandClassical.com 6/2014 with Julien Labro “the dynamic duo performed from one musical mind… perfectly in sync”
Soundboard Magazine CD Review 3/2014 “If you ever want to give a friend a disc that will cement his or her love for the guitar, this is a perfect candidate. Very highly recommended.”
Philadelphia Inquirer 3/2014 [Corigliano Concerto] “Vieaux’s virtuosity emerged in rapidly articulated passages….”
WQXR CD Review 2/2014 “displays of dexterity and rhythmic agility… lyrical elegance” [Featured CD]
Philadelphia CityPaper 2/2014 (feature) “he tackles composers as varied as Andrés Segovia and Duke Ellington with grace, expressive intensity and flawless technical execution.”
San Jose Mercury News 6/2013 “The program had a third hero, classical guitarist Jason Vieaux, a renowned player … can stretch a chord like taffy while letting each component note sparkle.”
Philadelphia Inquirer 1/2013 “…he uses vibrato and color for interpretive points when most demanded, and with particularly arresting effect, in part because your ears don’t take them for granted.”
Buffalo News 10/2012 (with harpist Yolanda Kondonassis)
Boston Musical Intelligencer 10/2012 (with Julien Labro, Bandoneon)
WGBH Drive-Time-Live 10/2012 (with Julien Labro, Bandoneon)
Cleveland Classical 6/2012 “stunning expressiveness and a fine sense of pace.”
Santa Barbara News Press 5/2012
Cleveland Plain Dealer 4/2012 (with harpist Yolanda Kondonassis)
Buffalo News 12/2011 (with the Buffalo Philharmonic)
ClevelandClassical.com 5/2011(with harpist Yolanda Kondonassis)
Boston Globe 12/2010 (with A Far Cry and Julien Labro) *Related Article: New CD with A Far Cry
News-Times 10/2010 (with the Escher String Quartet)
Fort-Worth Star Telegram/DFW.com 10/2010 (Fort Worth Symphony)
Ottawa Citizen Preview & Interview 9/2010
Fort-Worth Star Telegram/DFW.com 7/2010
Kalamazoo Gazette/mlive.com 7/2010
Charlotte Observer 10/09 (Charlotte Symphony)
Journal & Courier 4/28/09 (Lafayette Symphony)
Idaho Statesman 4/19/09 (Boise Philharmonic)
The Capital 4/3/09 (Annapolis Symphony)
Tampa Tribune 3/29/09 (The Florida Orchestra)
Buffalo News 11/24/08 (Vivaldi Festival)
“Thanks to his supreme command of color, Vieaux’s performances of three works by Albéniz were the highlight of the evening. The lilting transparency of Albeniz’ Mallorca brought to mind a brightly colored veil blowing in a gentle wind, and the facile fingerwork, tang, and shifts of dynamics and shading in Torre Bermeja were masterful. The beauty of Vieaux’s playing, which undulated with understated elegance, brought forth smiles and cheers from the audience.” (Music @ Menlo Festival) TheClassicalReview.com [2010]
“Allen Krantz’s guitar concerto Songs of Innocence and Experience filtered Pacific Rim musics through Krantz’s own American lens in a work so affable that with a charismatic interpreter like Jason Vieaux, it’s bound to become standard guitar concerto repertoire.” Philadelphia Inquirer [2008]
“The fine guitarist Jason Vieaux led off with his own “Five Songs in the Form of a Baroque Suite,” an arrangement of works by Johann Sebastian Bach interspersed with songs by Pat Metheny, for acoustic guitar. The idea of arranging Metheny’s music in Baroque dance forms – here an allemande, there a chaconne – is a clever one. Vieaux offered clear, clean, sensitive playing throughout.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch [St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Guitar Festival, 2008]
“Joined by Madrid-born guest conductor Pedro Halffter at the podium, Vieaux showed why he is among the most talented guitarists of his generation, a player whose effortless technique and fluidity gave the concerto a singing voice.” Tampa Tribune [The Florida Orchestra, 2008]
“He followed the concerto with an encore, the popular Vivaldi lute concerto slow movement that everyone knows. Again, what a moment. You could see people draped over the balcony rails, sitting forward in their seats, loving every note.” The Buffalo News [2008]
“Vieaux’s talent is so huge, and has been apparent for so long… He is still the most accomplished guitarist I have heard with my own ears, and that’s a list that starts with Segovia.” Absolute Sound [2006]
“Jason Vieaux has arranged some of Metheny’s most striking compositions for his solo instrument — and plays them with clarion beauty. The resulting album is an inspired masterpiece,with appeal far beyond classical and jazz listeners to virtually anyone who
loves music.” The Star-Ledger [2005]
Chiquinha Gonzaga – from Suíte Retratos by Radamés Gnattali – watch
Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears) in Cleveland – watch
Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears) in Burlington – watch
Piazzolla – Four Seasons of Buenos Aires – watch
Piazzolla – L’Histoire du Tango (mvmts 3 and 4) – watch
WGBH with Julien Labro – watch
WRTI Jason Vieaux on Crossover – listen
WGBH with Julien Labro – listen
Local Memphis Live – watch
