“Brexit Music’ is not a political album. But it holds in its title— which came to me long after the idea of the repertoire, an ultimately quite British taste for derision: in the end, art shall survive all social fads.

I wanted a fresh, playful sound, groove, and a bit of humor. Both playful and well executed. The intense presence of Matt and Greg is a big part of it.

Covering a popular song is common practice for jazz musicians, and like many others before me, I have often done it. Still, the idea of an entire al-bum revolving exclusively around British pop music was not self-evident: it was a challenge to remain lively and “fun” without the lyrics. So I was left with the often simplistic material of these songs, even if most of them have been an excit-ing and joyful part of my teenage years.

And then, little by little, by digging mainly into the incredibly creative era of the 70s, I started to have fun, sometimes arranging the melodies with the language I am most familiar with and sometimes playing them as they are. The simple sound of the piano/double bass/drums acoustic jazz trio created the surprise.

Jazz and pop musicians are often considered rivals. And yet, in both worlds, you can hear the same sublime violence and thirst for freedom.

Jazz was a popular and revolutionary music long before the arrival of rock’s exuberance. Its animality (which I love!) contrasted with jazz and its complex harmonies and rhythms.

Why not try to combine the two? While keeping in mind that this form of loving and poetic re-sistance is common to ALL genres” – Baptiste Trotignon, May 2023

Line Up: Baptiste Trotignon – piano, arrangements, Greg Hutchinson – drums, Matt Penman – upright bass.