Sanseverino - Le Tango des Gens (2001)

«A descendent of Italian immigrants, Stephane Sansévérino was born on French soil in 1962. Thanks to his father's work, young Stephane was offered limitless travel opportunities throughout his early years. He was exposed to performers from all over the world, and by the age of 20 had fixed his sights on a career in performance. Initially focusing on theater, he studied comic acting for a number of years, learning guitar and banjo in the process. Sansévérino started his own troupe and worked primarily as a street performer, while surrounded with the alternative rock sounds that had sprung up during the mid-'80s. He began working as a musician with his hand in a few groups at any given time, maintaining a diverse array of musical and theatrical pursuits. The two disciplines met in the formation of Les Voleurs de Poules, an acoustic duo that explored Eastern European Gypsy styles with French chansons from the '50s. After years of busy touring, the group released its debut record, Tu Sens les Poivrons, in 1995. The group split four years later, and Sansévérino spent the next two years writing and recording his first solo record, Le Tango des Gens, which went gold upon its release in 2001. Following intense touring, the artist was honored with the Victorie de la Musique Award for Best Breakthrough Live Act of the Year in 2003. His sophomore project, Les Senagalaises, earned him the nickname of "Monsieur Swing." In that same vein, Sansévérino's 2006 album, Exactement, was his first to feature a full big band, a notable departure from former ensembles of from three to five musicians. In December of 2006, he took to the road again, accompanied by his 20-piece big band.» (AMG)

«Avec ce premier album solo, Sanseverino (ex-leader-chanteur des Voleurs de poule) nous donne envie de mettre nos petites contrariétés au placard. Accompagné par le violon, l'accordéon et les cuivres rutilants, le banjo et la guitare acoustique de ce zigomar font virevolter des rythmes d'une chanson à l'autre. Ici pas de répit. On se laisse mener par le bout du nez vers un drôle d'univers où les clins d'œil (notamment à Brel et Bruant pour "Frida") succèdent à l'autodérision ("Swing du nul", "Mal ô mains"). Le tout servi dans des ambiances de joyeux bastringue. Parfois, ça sent le petit vin blanc, les guinguettes du dimanche ou les caf'conc enfumés du quartier Saint-Germain d'après-guerre. Et c'est sans compter la voix éraillée de cette gouaille malicieuse qui court sans retenue sur les accords d'un swing jazzifié façon Django Reinhardt ("Mal ô mains") ou ceux du folklore tzigane ("André"). Le sarcastique "Tango de l'ennui" de François Béranger version Sanseverino se fait l'écho du très mordant "Tango des gens" et mérite une écoute particulièrement attentive. Un album sans concession, dont on appréciera les nombreuses influences. (Valérie Dupouy, Amazon.fr)

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