Al Alba Matthieu Saglio & Camille Saglio

• 1 El Alba 04:35
• 2 Con Toda Palabra 03:18
• 3 Derviche (Part I) 04:05
• 4 Derviche (Part II) 03:29
• 5 Ginkgo Biloba 04:54
• 6 Amelui 04:05
• 7 Strange Fruit 04:48
• 8 Miba 04:36
• 9 Iberian Ballad 04:00
• 10 Movement 03:05
• 11 Le Vent Nous Portera 04:57
• 12 Atman 06:04
• 13 Le Nuage 03:35
• 14 Tariq 05:12
• Total Runtime 01:00:43

Info for Al Alba

"Two brothers, cello and voice, creating hauntingly beautiful music without borders. Their intimate jazz and world music fusion captures the transformative power of words, complementing the album’s themes of renewal and quiet beauty. Al alba, at dawn, that fleeting moment — hovering between night and day, between dreams and reality — everything starts afresh, and anything seems possible. As the sun rises above the horizon, gradually rousing nature and all living things from sleep, the world comes alive. Camille and Matthieu Saglio’s album echoes this suspended moment, full of promise, offering warmth and beauty that resonates deeply with every listener.

Recorded on an island in the river Loire, the music follows the river’s meanderings, at times seeming to float through the air, and at other times embracing the shores of a unique landscape crafted by the musicians. The music invites us to linger in the night, or, if we choose, to embark on our day, embarking on an inner journey through classical, jazz, world music, and spirituality. The album features an Iberian ballad in three-four time, performed by three brothers, with Gabriel on bass clarinet. An epic poem that begins at dawn and extends deep into the night, the album leads us down an enchanted path (Tariq) to an unknown destination."

"The bass clarinet is what ties this work to jazz, along with a voice that at times transforms into a cry; sculpted like a work of art. This album is, without a doubt, one of the most dazzling listening experiences we will have at our fingertips in 2025, its strangeness filling our eyes with admiration. It is their first duo album, carrying a spiritual essence, evoking transitions and frontiers, transformation and its reverberations on music and mankind. A Celtic-Breton influence is perceptible, particularly in its embrace of minor-key melancholy. Flamenco also plays a role, bringing both rhythmic precision and a connection to the reveries and arabesques of Mediterranean tradition. Matthieu Saglio’s disciplined classical background grants him immense compositional freedom and an unparalleled delicacy of sound. One cannot help but be moved by such an artistic proposition." (Thierry De Clemensat, PARIS-MOVE)

Camille Saglio, voice, shakers
Matthieu Saglio, cello, palmas, vocals
Gabriel Saglio, bass clarinet (track 9)

Matthieu Saglio
Mit einem unverwechselbaren Klang und einer beeindruckenden musikalischen Bandbreite, hat sich Matthieu Saglio als einer der faszinierendsten Cellisten seiner Generation etabliert. Nach einer klassischen Ausbildung am Conservatoire de Rennes, ist der gebürtige Franzose heute in Valencia ansässig. Dort zählt er zu jenen Pionieren, die die Fusion des Cello mit der spanischen Flamencotradition etablierten – insbesondere mit seiner Band Jerez-Texas, mit der er seit 2002 um den Globus tourt. Parallel dazu verfolgt Matthieu zahlreiche Solo-, Duo- und Bandprojekte und ist ein gefragter Begleiter in verschiedensten Formationen. Dazu zählt auch das Trio NES, mit dem er drei Jahre nach seiner Gründung das Album Ahlam (2018) beim renommierten deutschen Label ACT veröffentlichte. Von der internationalen Presse einhellig gefeiert, spielt das Trio nun intensiv in ganz Europa. Aber auch Matthieus Qualitäten als Komponist sind regelmäßig in Original-Soundtracks für Theater oder Fernsehen zu hören. Bei seinem Schaffen leitet ihn, als Künstlerbotschafter der Internationalen Yehudi Menuhin Stiftung, vor allem ein Ziel: einen Dialog zwischen seinem Instrument und anderen Kulturen zu eröffnen.

“Matthieu Saglio is arguably the greatest French jazz cellist today“ (Babelmed)

"An indisputable technical hability that allows him to get from the instrument an infinite range of sounds. An opening to the new without stylistic and geographic boundaries." – El País (ES)

"From Bach to the multicultural avant-garde. (…) Matthieu Saglio has built, forged and consolidated one of the most interesting musical profiles on the European scene." – Los sonidos del planeta azul, Paco Valiente (ES)

Booklet for Al Alba