Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM
Kandace Springs Sings Billie Holiday
When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
Harmonica player Grégoire Maret collaborated with pianist Romain Collin and guitarist Bill Frisell on Americana.
(Photo: Neutrø)The harmonica generally isn’t viewed as a supremely versatile instrument, steeped as it is in the blues tradition. But in the right hands, like those of Grégoire Maret, the harmonica can go just about anywhere. That’s what has allowed the 44-year-old musician to collaborate with a dizzying array of musicians, from funk-pop polymath Meshell Ndegeocello to Canadian folk legend Bruce Cockburn.
Maret’s varied resume also has had an effect on his own recordings as a leader, where the various tributaries he’s explored have granted him a vast pool of sounds to play with.
“There’s a wide spectrum of music that I’ve had the chance to explore,” Maret said, speaking from his home in New York. “I needed to be able to go in all those different directions for my next step.”
That impulse, in part, inspired Maret to title his new album Americana. Released by the ACT label, it is hardly a roots/folk recording, but the nine-song program was informed by the same blend of sounds—jazz, bluegrass, gospel and blues—that falls under the huge Americana umbrella. In fact, the definition that Maret and one of his collaborators, pianist Romain Collin, had for that term felt broad enough to describe themselves—two musicians not born in the States—and British rock group Dire Straits, whose song “Brothers In Arms,” stripped back to its plaintive melody, opens the album.
“To us, it embodies the notion that we had of the American Dream,” Collin said, speaking via Skype during a recent trip to Iceland. “When I was a kid, the idea of going to America to try and reach your dreams was so mesmerizing and extremely appealing.”
That said, Americana doesn’t carry the same fresh-off-the-plane feeling that an émigré might have on their first days in the U.S. Instead, there’s a lush calm to the album, with originals and covers like Bon Iver’s “Re: Stacks” and the pop standard “Wichita Lineman” that feel like surveying an expanse of farmland or the Grand Canyon. According to Maret, that feeling was crucial to his choice of material here.
“We felt there was such a disconnect right now all over the world,” Maret said. “We were trying to go against that with beautiful melodies and to present a closer expression to how I feel.”
The other element that was key to the sound and mood of Americana was the inclusion of guitarist Bill Frisell, who not only helped counterbalance the floating melodies of Maret and Collin but brought in two original compositions—“Rain, Rain” and “Small Town”—that ramble under the influence of country and blues. And, for Collin, it was a chance to finally work with one of his musical heroes.
“I was really excited, in maybe a selfish way, to explore some of his material and see how it worked for the ensemble,” Collin said of working with Frisell.
The chemistry of the three players is evident in the sound of Americana, as even their few solos feel tipped to retain focus on an ensemble vibe. It exudes such a collective warmth that it’s no surprise that everyone involved is already itching to get back into the studio with this lineup again.
“It’s one of those experiences where you go into the studio and you’re like, ‘Man, making music is easy!’” Maret said. “You’re just happy to be making music, and then you go home and feel like a better person for it.”
With much of the world on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Maret predicts that it will be a while before he tours again.
“Having a record coming out during this pandemic is kind of surreal,” he said. “It’s a bit like walking into the unknown. The only thing that brings me peace is [knowing] that the music itself is a good instrument to help in these really difficult times. ...
“In terms of promotion, it’s still hard to say because people’s minds are somewhere else. So, we will need to let the dust settle and see where we stand. But at the same time, the two singles on Spotify and the video on YouTube we released recently are getting a lot of attention. It seems like the depth and the honesty of this music is what a lot of people need today. ... I hope it can bring some comfort to the listener in these unprecedented times.” DB
This story originally was published in the June 2020 issue of DownBeat.
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”
Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM
When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
James Brandon Lewis earned honors for Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Three of his recordings placed in the Albums of the Year category.
Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM
You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…
Galper was often regarded as an underrated master of his craft.
Jul 22, 2025 10:58 AM
Hal Galper, a pianist, composer and arranger who enjoyed a substantial performing career but made perhaps a deeper…
Chuck Mangione on the cover of the May 8, 1975, edition of DownBeat.
Jul 29, 2025 1:00 PM
Chuck Mangione, one of the most popular trumpeters in jazz history, passed away on July 24 at home in Rochester, New…
“Hamiet was one of the most underrated musicians ever,” says Whitaker of baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett.
Jul 8, 2025 7:30 AM
At 56, Rodney Whitaker, professor of jazz bass and director of jazz studies at Michigan State University, is equally…
