Shijin – 2018

🇫🇷 🎹 🥁 🌍 🎛️ Initiated by bassist Laurent David, Shijin first emerged in 2018. This jazz power quartet, formed at David’s behest, is completed by Jacques Schwarz-Bart, pianist Malcolm Braff and drummer Stéphane Galland. Shijin’s music is a powerful fusion, reflecting the diverse influences of its four members—Brazil, Guadeloupe, the United States, France, Switzerland, Belgium… One might call it jazz rock or Creole fusion, blending urban vibes with roots, shifting from the urgency of Afro Bear to the innocent melody of New Neighborhood, suddenly infused with electro before diving into Caribbean trance. While reminiscent of Jacques Schwarz-Bart’s albums, particularly the explosive Brother Jacques Project—a mix of New York and Pointe-à-Pitre—Shijin pushes further, driven by Malcolm Braff’s keyboards, both acoustic and electric, drawing inspiration from straight jazz and Africa, mirroring his personal journey. Initially, Shijin was built on the dynamic bass/drum rhythm section created by Laurent David and Stéphane Galland. As both the project’s originator and producer under his label Alter-Nativ, David remains a central figure in shaping Shijin’s vibrant sound.