JACQUES SCHWARZ-BART QUARTET The Art of Dreaming

Jacques Schwarz-Bart - tenor saxophone

Baptiste Trotignon - piano

Thomas Bramerie - bass

Hans Van Oosterhout - drums

Jacques Schwarz-Bart, aka Brother Jacques, is a saxophonist of French Jewish and Guadeloupean extraction. A Berklee graduate, he moved to New York and swiftly established himself in the jazz scene, playing with Roy Hargrove's Latin Band and D'Angelo, and session and live work with Erykah Badu, Eric Benet, Meshell N’degeocello, James Hurt, Danilo Perez, Soulive, Ari Hoenig and David Gilmore, among others

"'According to Carlos Castaneda, ancient Toltec sorcerers had developed the art of staying aware while dreaming, in order to travel to parallel worlds, and have a better understanding of the human potential. As I was reading Castaneda's book entitled The Art of Dreaming, I immediately drew a comparison with the musician's quest. Except that instead of staying aware during their dreaming, musicians manage to dream while being awake, and share that dream with other musicians and listeners. Achieving the act of dreaming while being awake has become a musical quest for me. But this special state of mind has come and gone in jittery fashion, like bubbles that grow and burst unexpectedly. My first fluid experience took place with the quartet featured on this album - except for Hans Von Oosterhout who has brilliantly replaced Leon Parker. I immediately felt as if we were traveling together, gliding through a dream that was one and the same. Since then, I have had my mind set on recording an album that reflects this experience. The spirit of collective dreaming has allowed us to rise above the impersonal setting of the recording studio, and play as if we were live in front of our audience. The result is organic, contrasted and often orgasmic: just like I dreamed it!" JACQUES SCHWARTZ-BART

Naïve DJ64006