With La Croisière, Quentin Dujardin unleashes the unique timbre of his fretless and slide guitars, crafting a rich and airy sound. Behind him, two key figures provide the rhythmic foundation: Manu Katché on drums and Nicolas Fiszman on bass. Their groove creates a supple base upon which the guitarist soars. Soon joined by the elegant tones of Didier Laloy‘s accordion, the quartet sails between sky and sea, taking you on a journey to San Francisco Bay.

This track is taken from the album ‘Saison orange’.

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«This is the third album in which I have been involved with the music of guitarist and composer Quentin Dujardin. A number of years ago, I had the pleasure of working on Distances and the following year with his multi-cultural band project Kalaban Koura. The music, in both cases, was fresh in its originality, ambitious in scope, but also just simply beautiful. In addition, it showed considerable promise for future development.

Fast forward thirteen years and this new opportunity came to me with Quentin’s latest music for his band 4tet, featuring the irrepressible rhythm section of Manu Katche (drums) and Nicolas Fiszman (bass), as well as accordionist and colorist extraordinaire Didier Laloy. Quentin’s compositions, realized by this wonderfully-cast group of collaborators, indeed have revealed the kind of fulfilled promise that could have only been dreamed of in the early 2010’s, a notable and exciting thing to witness. They have also presented ample opportunity to showcase Quentin’s own astonishing playing.

I have had the privilege of working with a good number of brilliant guitarist/composers over the years. Quentin’s work and his creative process have shown that he belongs in the creative company of such illustrious musicians. I feel fortunate to have been asked to collaborate with him in bringing this music out into the world. And I think it is more needed now than ever.»

Lee Townsend, Berkeley, California, March, 2025