Julien Labro
 Deemed
“brilliant” by Howard Reich of the Chicago
Tribune, Julien Labro has established himself
as one of the foremost accordion and bandoneon
players in both the classical and jazz worlds.
His artistry, virtuosity, and creativity as a
musician, composer and arranger have earned
him international acclaim and continue to
astonish audiences worldwide.
French-born Labro was influenced early on by
traditional folk music and the melodic,
lyrical quality of the French chanson.
However, he spent every last cent of his
pocket money collecting CDs by jazz legends
like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, thirsty
for the originality, creativity, and the
endless possibilities in their musical
language.
After graduating from the Marseille
Conservatory of Music, Labro began winning
international awards, taking first prize in the
Coupe Mondiale in 1996 and the Castelfidardo
Competitions in 1997. After sweeping first
place in the Marcel Azzola, Jo Privat and
Medard Ferrero competitions in 1995 and 1998,
Labro moved to the United States to further
pursue his studies and musical dream. There he
embraced other genres of music, ranging from
pop and hip hop to electronic/techno and rap,
as well as Latin, Indian, Middle Eastern, and
other types of world music.
Equipped with advanced degrees in classical
music, jazz studies, and composition, Labro
draws from both his diverse academic
background and eclectic musical taste in his
professional life as a performer, arranger,
and composer.
As a musician, Labro is constantly evolving
artistically. He searches for new themes and
untried concepts, transforming and developing
his creative ideas into new projects.
Piazzolla, a major influence and the reason
Labro picked up the bandoneon, is also the
title of his recent release on Azica Records
with classical guitarist Jason Vieaux and A
Far Cry chamber orchestra. It features
Labro’s arrangements of the tango master’s
Four Seasons. Other upcoming releases
include Grammy-award winning vocalist
Cassandra Wilson’s Another Country (eOne
Music) and critically acclaimed Hot Club of
Detroit’s Junction on Mack Avenue Records.
Labro’s compositions on Junction reveal his
broad musical inspiration, ranging from a
piece that honors late pianist George Shearing
(“Goodbye Mr. Shearing”) to a Jean Cocteau
poem read at Django Reinhardt’s funeral
(“Django Mort”). His arrangements on the
album, which include Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely
Woman” and Parisian standard “La Foule,”
highlight Labro’s innovative approach to
traditional music and his willingness to
transcend boundaries in melding different
genres, styles, and sounds.
Labro tours with jazz groups such as the Frank
Vignola Ensemble, Jazz Wagon, The Oblivion
Project, and Hot Club of Detroit. His
performance schedule includes jazz venues such
as Birdland, Blue Note, Yoshi’s, Dazzle, The
Green Mill, Nighttown, Sculler’s, Chris’ Jazz
Cafe, Dakota Jazz Club, Jazz Kitchen, and
festivals such as Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Detroit
Jazz Festival, Blissfest, Jazz Salt Lake City,
Soave Guitar Festival (IT), Quebec
International Music Festival (CA), the
International Finnish Accordion Festival, and
the International Las Vegas Accordion
Convention, where he was featured with
accordion legends Dick Contino and Art Van
Damme.
In addition, he has been a guest artist with
numerous symphonies and chamber ensembles such
as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the
Cleveland Pops Orchestra, A Far Cry chamber
orchestra, the Cape Cod Symphony, the Grosse
Pointe Symphony, the Birmingham-Bloomfield
Symphony, the Saginaw Symphony, the Macomb
Symphony, the Bijou Orchestra, the Michigan
Pops Orchestra, the Linden String Quartet, the
Prairie Ensemble, and the Spektral Quartet.
Recently, Labro has shared the stage or
recorded with artists such as Brazilian
pianist João Gilberto, Larry Coryell, John
& Bucky Pizzarelli, Victor Goines, James
Carter, Frank Vignola, Anat Cohen, Howard
Alden, Tommy Emmanuel, Joel Frahm, Jason
Vieaux, Lebanese oud master Marcel Khalife,
and singer Cassandra Wilson.
On a creative level, Labro has been enlisted
as an arranger for several professional
ensembles, most recently for Ensemble Vivant
of Toronto, the conductorless Boston-based
chamber orchestra A Far Cry, and Curtis On
Tour from the Curtis Institute of Music
faculty of Philadelphia.
Labro is married to pianist Jia Li, and they
make their home in downtown Toronto. They
enjoy cooking, the thriving local film
industry, the food and restaurant scene, and
traveling around the world.
~~~
Programs Available with
Symphonies
Click
here for programs available with symphony
orchestras (pdf)
Programs
Available with
Chamber Group
"Five for Tango"
» Julien Labro
on bandoneón and
accordina. With The Spektral Quartet
Bandoneón master Julien Labro pays tribute to
the tango nuevo and the music of Astor
Piazzolla. The program explores the unusual
instrumentation of bandoneón with string
quartet, the distinctive musical style and
repertoire of the tango genre and its
evolution.
Showcasing the bandoneón, the true soul of
tango, this ensemble will transport the
audience to the cafés, nightclubs, and streets
of Buenos Aires.
Program includes:
- Luis
Bacalov - Il Postino
- Carlos
Gardel - El Día Que Me Quieras, and Por
Una Cabeza
- Astor
Piazzolla - Five Tango Sensations; Adios
Nonino; Milonga Loca; Oblivion; Tres Minutos con
la Realidad; Escualo
- Angel
Villoldo - El Choclo
"Five
for Tango" - Julien Labro with The Spektral
Quartet (pdf)
"A Journey Through South America"
» Immerse
yourself in the captivating Latin rhythms of
Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico,
Argentina and Paraguay as accordionist Julien
Labro and Spektral string quartet lead you to
an electrifying evening featuring music by
Villa-Lobos, Pascoal, Grenet, Romero, Barrios,
Piazzolla, Otero, Schissi, and more.
Showcasing the unique tone qualities of the
three main instruments of the accordion family
(accordion, bandoneón and accordina) blended
with the luscious sounds of the string
quartet, this program displays a rich, joyful
and rhythmically charged repertoire with a
dash of romanticism.
"A
Journey Through South America" - Julien Labro
with The Spektral Quartet (pdf)
"The Wandering Squeezbox"
» Julien
Labro on accordion,
bandoneón and
accordina. With The
Spektral Quartet
Julien Labro presents a rich and diverse
program featuring the versatility of the
accordion and its relative instruments: the
bandoneón, and the accordina. With a wide
selection of music ranging from Venezuela to
the Czech Republic, this program will take you
on a journey through various musical cultures
and time periods.
Program includes:
- Anton
Dvořák - Five Bagatelles (string trio
& accordion)
- Ennio
Morricone - Cinema Paradiso
- Marjan
Mozetich - Dance of the Blind (string
trio & accordion)
- Astor
Piazzolla - The Angel Suite; and
The Devil Suite
- Aldemaro
Romero - Fuga con Pajarillo
"The
Wandering Squeezebox" - Julien Labro with The
Spektral Quartet (pdf)
"A French Affair"
»
Julien
Labro on accordion and
bandoneón. With piano,
violin
and cello.
Be
swept away in a romantic night of
music that evokes joy and sorrow; love
and despair, where the maze of intense
emotions
surpasses time and space. French
accordionist Julien Labro showcases
this national instrument performing
the music of
impressionist and other composers
linked to the French culture.
Program includes:
- Julien
Labro - Frantic
- Pat
Metheny - Au Lait
- Astor
Piazzolla -
Ballet Tango;
and Vayamos Al Diablo
- Francis
Poulenc - Improvisation XV
- Maurice
Ravel - Introduction & Allegro
- Erik Satie
- Gnossienne # 1 & # 3; and
Gymnopédie #1 (solo
accordion)
"A
French Affair" - Julien Labro with piano,
violin, cello (pdf)
~~~
Click
here to view detailed
information on Julien Labro's jazz
group Hot Club of Detroit
~~~~
Quotes
“Brilliant accordionist”
- Howard Reich / Chicago Tribune
“Julien Labro steals the show with his
improvisations. He is the best jazz
accordionist I’ve heard since Art Van
Damme, and that was, what? The late
’50s? Like Van Damme, Labro plays the
instrument in a rapid, single-note
style, evidently adapted from Bud
Powell.”
- Lynn Rene Bayley
/ Fanfare Magazine
“Julien Labro put on a
show that was blistering in both pace
and quality.”
- Stewart Oksenhorn / Aspen Times
~~~~
Downloads
Note: all of the
documents, audio and video samples below can
be downloaded and used in your publicity by opening the item and
then saving to your computer. Or you can
copy the link and use the link on your website
by right clicking on the link and then
selecting "Copy link location".
Audio & Video Samples
 Julien
Labro with the Spektral Quartet performing
"Milonga Loca" by Astor
Piazzolla
Julien
Labro with the Spektral Quartet
performing "Il Postino"
Julien
Labro with the Spektral Quartet
performing "Fear" by
Astor Piazzolla
Julien
Labro with the Hot Club of Detroit
Biography
Julien
Labro Biography (pdf)
Hi-Res Photos
Julien
Labro Hi-Res with accordion color - credit
Cybelle Codish
Julien
Labro Hi-Res with accordion B&W - credit
Cybelle Codish
Julien
Labro Hi-Res with bandoneon color - credit
Cybelle Codish
Julien
Labro Hi-Res with accordina color - credit Cybelle
Codish
Low-Res Photos
Julien
Labro and Spektral Quartet Live
Julien
Labro and Spektral Quartet Live 2
Julien
Labro Lo-Res color - credit Cybelle Codish
Julien
Labro Low-Res with accordion color - credit
Cybelle Codish
Julien
Labro Low-Res with accordion B&W - credit
Cybelle Codish
Julien
Labro Low-Res with accordina color - credit
Cybelle Codish
Reviews
Review
Julien Labro and Jason Vieaux Boston Musical
Intelligencer October
2012
Artist Home Page
http://julienlabro.com
Request PR Materials
Click
here to request a printed PR package on
Julien Labro
including his latest CD*
Click
here to request a digital download copy of
Julien Labro's
latest CD*
* Note CD's and
digital access to CD's are strictly for
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for producers of live performances.
All other requests should be forwarded
to the artist's label.
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