THE ARTISTS

Christophe Lartilleux.

Gypsy (by his mother), born in the family of circus Hart-Goujon, Christophe Lartilleux spent his childhood in caravans, touring all over France and Europe. Very young, he learned music and guitar with his father Yvon Lartilleux who played for great accordionists such as Jo Privat, Maurice Vittenet or André Verchuren, before becoming "banquiste" (circus musician).

If by descent Christophe Lartilleux is a connoisseur of directory "musette" style, his musical influences are many: from jazz fusion to bop through the flamenco or... hard rock. That's why he crossed the road of musicians as diverse as Yoshko and Deborah Seffer, Vincent Courtois, Alain Caron, Larry Coryell, and Laurent Korcia ...

Fascinated since childhood by the music of Django Reinhardt, with the desire to enjoy the atmosphere of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, he founded in 1993 the group Latcho Drom, a springboard for the genre's best musicians - violinists Costel Nitescu, Florin Niculescu, Aurélien Trigo or accordionists Emy Dragoi and Laurent Derrache - with whom he toured the world.

Internationally renowned musician, composer and arranger, virtuoso guitarist, specializing in jazz and especially the style known as "gypsy", accomplished educator motivated by a concern to convey the passion that animates him. Tireless researcher for encyclopedic knowledge, there is one the few soloists who can really interpret Django Reinhardt with the truth of touch and sound, as evidenced by his latest opus "On the way to home", realised with the equipment and technics of recording in use just after the second world war.

Inhabited by a universal curiosity for everything that relates to music, it addresses the oriental music since its inception "Lungone Dromenca" in 2006, and in 2011 met the virtuoso lute Arab-Andalusian and Amazigh music specialist Abdelkarim Gagou .

The immediate complicity of the two artists led to the creation of joint project "Aman Michto", with Figuigui Ali Haddad (percussion) and long-time collaborator, guitarist and singer Philippe Cuillerier.

Discography:

La Sorcière, 1993.
La Verdine, 1996.
Live in Madrid, 1997.
Déborah, 1999.
T.O.M, 2006-2007.
Sur le chemin de ma maison, 2012.

Links:

Abdelkarim Gagou

Abdelkarim Gagou, better known in his hometown by his stage name Kari Amar was born in 1972 in Figuig, an oasis south of the preserved Oriental region in Morocco. His musical gift and his mastery of the lute Arab-Andalusian earned him a high reputation in the circle of classical musicians, which extends gradually throughout Morocco and in France, where he now occurs regularly.

His passion for music - mostly Eastern - he acquires from his childhood listening to Egyptian singers Farid Al Atrash, Riad Sanbati, Lebanese Marcel Khalifa, the Iraqi Mounir Bachir from whom he learned by heart many of scores and of their songs. At age 10 he builds himself his lute called "ssintra." Like all young figuiguis of his generation, he started playing first with two strings, then three, and so on, to accompany songs or Abdelhadi Hamid or Zahir Belkhayyat.

His father offered him his first lute at the age of fourteen, in recognition of his school achievement. It was at this time that he began playing with the band of Zenaga, especially for wedding ceremonies, and also playing the violin with Mô Balla, Omar O 'Lhaj, Abdelmalek O' Boutkhil, Miloud Aheddad or the deceased Mô Moussa.

Graduated, he hosted musical evenings on campus Mohammed Premier in Oujda and began his musical studies at the Conservatory where he was admitted immediately in the third year. He was soon chosen to accompany the actresses Nadine Demange and Benedicte Guichardon in tour in the various French Institutes in Morocco. This experience of musical improvisation, interpretation from a literary writing opens up to him various opportunities for collaboration both Morocco and France.

He now teaches at the Conservatory of Music in Djerada and is dedicated his own musical projects. He worked on an album of Amazigh music from Figuig and plans to publish a book of original scores and transcripts of a selection of Moroccan and Oriental reference songs .

Attached to its homeland and connoisseur of musical and poetic heritage, it is everywhere Ambassador of Figuig oasis where it aims to encourage young people to artistic practice through the creation of a training center .

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Philippe « Doudou » Cuillerier

Born in Versailles in 1961 into a family of musicians. Philippe "Doudou" Cuillerier began his musical training in a drum band and playing saxophone. He then falls in love with the guitar picking listening to Marcel Dadi's records. This enthusiasm stems naturally want to study jazz guitar and harmony.

His collaboration with Angelo Debarre, started in 1984, is crucial in the success of his projects. He becomes a "pump" guitarist renowned among gypsy swing musicians. It is then sought by major of that style. Alongside them, Doudou unveils his talent as a singer that is rare in gypsy swing, leaders regularly ask him to spice up their shows of gypsy songs and scat singing.

With twenty years of teaching experience in music school, Philippe Cuillerier shows an unwavering taste for contact with children, as evidenced by his creations "Mister Django & Mrs. Swing" and "low heat Doudou" that delight all ages, combining with happiness "classic" jazz, creating original and the wider repertoire of the song that he adapts with talent and humor.

Originally, I did not learn the guitar to sing, he says. I grew up like that .... I stopped worrying, trying to make me really happy. I am still working (studying pieces, finding new agreements yet, still working waltzes ...), but I realized that I never finished discovering things every day...

Ali Haddad

Born in 1965 in Figuig, a preserved oasis south of the Oriental region in Morocco, Ali Haddad is faithful to the land of his birth where he still lives, dividing his time between the two activities that both ancestral and necessary in these isolated lands : carpentry (where he excels in woodworking palm, vital resource of the oasis) and the music associated with the poetry.

Percussionist and sensitive connoisseur of classical and traditional repertoires Amazigh Arab- Andalusian, he accompanies most artists of the region for concerts and ritual celebrations.

Essential musician for the musical festival of Figuig, he was naturally invited as part of the 6th edition to participate with his friend Abdelkarim Gagou (lute) to the project of creating "Aman Michto" with Christophe Lartilleux (guitar) and Philippe Cuillerier (guitar and vocals). The closing concert of the festival and touring summer festivals in Champagne- Ardenne that follow will be a resounding success.

Undoubtedly also thanks to his availability, his open mind, and the natural sympathy that emerges from his person.