Brilliant jazz from Claude Sommier with his group Djoa. The pianist from Martinique, who features on Roland Brival’s album Creole Gypsy, has carried the colours of Caribbean jazz high, winning the Concours National de la Défense, performing at Jazz à Vienne and more. Djoa offers very modern jazz, where the piano elegantly dialogues with the steel pan, and regularly praised by the specialist press. Calalou is the third and last album by the group – with variable geometry – released in 1996, with Marc-Michel Le Bévillon (cb), Xavier Desandre Navarre (perc), François Laizeau (dms), Jean-Marc Larché (sax) and Anise Hadeed (steel drums). Very ill, Claude Sommier was forced to interrupt his career pr
ematurely and finally passed away in 2009. I remember his ever-bright smile when he had the chance to share his music or simply evoke memories of it…
