Le Roi des Jongleurs
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You'll either love the vocals or hate them , Rating: ****

Jazz Guitar International, Stringjazz. U.K.

You'll either love the vocals or hate them but this is traditional music and Guiran's voice is light and musical. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, gypsy-style bands in Europe fall into many camps these days as they try to offer a wider appeal to their audiences. Polytour come from the traditional 'musette' style and listening to them, one could be transported back to the Paris of the early part of this century. Their blend of vocals, guitar and accordion stikers a rich historic vein. The band is tight and in guitarist Jan de Jong have potentially another excellent gypsy-style player in their ranks.

There's plenty of guitar solos on this CD including the old warhorse, Djangology. De Jong has a nice tone and touch and the balance between the guitar, accordion and vocals is just about right. One worthy point of mention are the arrangements. There's a lot of humour, excellent musicianship and a sense of style with Polytour. You'll either love the vocals or hate them but this is traditional music and Guiran's voice is light and musical. This is not sombre music - this CD has, as the French would say, real "joie de vivre". I'm sure we'll hear a lot more of this band in the future.

Rating: ****.

Chris Burdon, Jazz Guitar International, Stringjazz. U.K.

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