"A tandem of two ingenious personalities presents an improvised music album: French guitarist Marc Ducret and Lithuanian saxophonist Liudas Mockunas. These musicians have collaborated for several years already - they both are featured on bands such as Toxikum and Megaphone with Stefan Pasborg and Paul Brosseu also with Copenhagen Art Ensemble.

Marc Ducret

Marc Ducret is among today's most original improvisers. Self-taught, extraordinarily gifted musician does not restrict himself to a particular style, writes distinctive and unexpected music - attacking with ferocious electric guitar outbursts or drifting into subtle impressionistic abstractions, resounding with rock hits or approaching post-bop, bursting into noise avalanches or playing with bits and pieces from the world of flamenco and classical music. One of the most unconventional guitarists empowered by acoustic and electric, bass and baritone guitars produces a unique sound, embracing all imaginable music forms.

Born in Paris in 1957 Marc Ducret began his professional career in 1975, playing bass in dance bands, rock and folk groups, accompanying singers and singing himself, and working as a studio musician. This experience was his 'Alma Mater'. As a guitarist he debuted in 1986 playing with Patrice Caratini octet. The same year he became a member of the first French Orchestre National de Jazz, and formed his own trio, becoming a regular performer on the domestic and international concert and festival scene. The following year his trio recorded its debut album La Théorie du Pilier.

Marc Ducret soon gained recognition - he was awarded Django Reinghardt Prize in 1987, in 1988 and 1989 Jazz Hot magazine elected him the best French jazz guitarist, and in 1989 he was hailed as SACEM star. His career picked up and before long as a soloist he became much demanded abroad.

Since 1991, collaboration with American saxophonist Tim Berne brought Marc Ducret recognition in the motherland of jazz. He has since worked in a number of formations led by Tim Berne, including duo, Big Satan, Caos Totale and Bloodcount. Marc Ducret recoded several solo albums, released on T.Berne's Screwgun label. A regular member of New York Factory, Marc Ducret today is one of the few European musicians regularly playing overseas.

Marc Ducret also collaborates with Larry Schneider, David Friedmann, Michel Portal, Joachim Kühn, Franco Ambrosetti, Didier Lockwood, Miroslav Vitous, Enrico Rava, Adam Nussbaum, Django Bates, David Sanborn, Joey Baron, Michel Godard, Dominique Pifarély, David Linx, Bobby Previte and many others, works with various groups, including AKA Moon, Acoustic Quartet with Louis Sclavis and Dominique Pifarély, Andy Emler quintet, Fran?ois Jeanneau orchestra Pandémonium, Copenhagen Art Ensemble, Daniel Humair and Antoine Hervé ensembles, Fran?ois Corneloup quartet, performs as a duo with percussionist Bobby Previte and his quartet Latin for Travelers also with Pasborg-Mockunas"Megaphone" and Pasborg-Mockunas "Toxikum".

In addition, Marc Ducret performs solo and with his own ensembles, including tentet Seven Songs, exploring the music of the '60s with a very personal touch. Marc Ducret formed the present line-up of the trio in 1997, after accumulating experience of working in similar formations."-Jūratė Kučinskaitė, Vilnius Jazz Festival

"Liudas Mockunas

Liudas Mockunas Lithuanian reed player (born in 1976) during the last years has become an important figure on Lithuanian jazz scene, is a representative of a young Lithuanian jazz generation, he is a mature and experienced musician who has played in many parts of Europe, USA, Israel, Turkey and China. Mockunas graduated from Lithuanian Musical academy in 2002 MA degree and Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen in Denmark in 2005, MA degree. He has won several classical competitions in Lithuania and Latvia. Together with trio M.A.P: Jacob Anderskov (piano) and Stefan music in Poirtiers, France. He has released 7 albums on his name and 15 as a sideman including Andrew Hill's Jazz Par Octet". LIudas album "Toxikum" featuring Marc Ducret and John Tchicai ("ILK" recods), which he released with Danish drummer Stefan Pasborg has won Danish grammy "Jazz Discovery of the Year 2004". He also got three prizes in Lituania: Vilnius Jazz Prize 2006, Birstonas Jazz Prize 2008 and Musicians Union Prize "Golden Disc" in 2008. The creative interests of L Mockunas are focused on improvised music and experimental jazz stage. He is a co-leader of bands "Toxikum", "Red Planet", "Traffic quartet"," Baltic trio", "Megaphone", "Saga Quartet", Mockunas- Ducret Duo", Mockunas - Hojito Duo and "Revolver". He is a member of "Copenhagen Art Ensemble" and new music ensemble "Gaida", collaborates with Marc Ducret, V.Chekasin, Mats Eilertsen, Jaak Sooaar, Mikko Innanen, Dietrich Eichmann, Chordos String Quartet, Piere Dorge and his "New Jungle Orchestra". He has played with Swinging Europe big band, Andrew Hill, Scott Colley, Nasheet Waits, Mats Gustafsson, Jeff Arnal, Vladimir Tarasov, Mike Svoboda, Petras Vysniauskas, Vladimir Chekasin, Ryoji Hojito, Barry Guy, La Villet Jazz Festival Big Band featuring "World Saxophone Quartet"... Mockunas also works in a New Academic music field. As a soloist performed with Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra a concerto for soprano saxophone by Arvydas Malcys, concerto for tenor saxophone by Arvydas Malcys with chamber music orchestra "Kamerata Baltica", and a piece by Anatolijus Senderovas for two jazz soloists and a symphony orchestra performed by Krylovi Hradec Symphony, Liudas Mockunas and Vladimir Tarasov. Works regulary with string quartet "Chordos".

Since 2004 Mockunas teaches saxophone and ensemble at the Lithuanian Music Academy Jazz Department in Vilnius. He is one of the founders of "Lithuanian Jazz Federation", also one of the founders of Lithuanian improvised music record label "No Business Records"."-NoBusiness

This album has been reviewed on our magazine:


The Squid's Ear!