Biréli Lagrène

On November 4, 2026, at La Seine Musicale in Boulogne-Billancourt, Biréli Lagrène returns with Elegant People, a project that brings together everything that runs through his playing: gypsy swing, bebop, blues, Brazilian colors and echoes of fusion. With an acoustic guitar in hand, he reworks standards, lets the melodies breathe, then propels the groove with nervous choruses nourished by a career that has taken him from European clubs to international stages alongside Jaco Pastorius, Jean-Luc Ponty and John Scofield.

Surrounded by Jean-Yves Jung (piano, Fender Rhodes), William Brunard (double bass) and Raphaël Pannier (drums), he finds the ideal terrain for collective improvisation: the woody warmth of the acoustic, the electric suppleness of the Rhodes, and the precise pulse of the rhythm section. The title also alludes to Weather Report: the quartet performs “Elegant People” and offers a more organic interpretation without losing the energy of the original version. An evening centered on Lagrène’s guitar, his sense of phrasing and a tightly honed group dialogue.