In the interview that follows, The Jellyfish Brothers talk about rehearsing as a duo while each lives in a different country, writing music for silent movies and life as travelling musicians away from their families, ending with a reflection on playing in the shed.
It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Randy, whose CD Puerto Viejo, I admired so much, and to listen to Ben’s compositions and talk about music with him again.
Les Freres Meduses
I had the privilege of hearing Les Frères Méduses (aka The Jellyfish Brothers) for the second time this year. The first time was in Louisville at the GFA and this second time the dynamic duo of Benoît Albert and Randall Avers played in the shed.
In a veritable fluther of jellyfish activity, we were treated to duets by Machado, Bogdanovic, Ivanovic, Laborde, Rami Vamos as well as music by the duo off their latest album “Modern Guitar Duets” and some of their live music for films by Georges Méliès (of “Hugo” fame), “Mekanisk”.
The playing was stunning as well as playful – this was remarkable as Randy had just arrived from Norway and Ben from France a few hours before playing.
Like everything else they do, the ensemble is beautifully precise yet thoroughly musical. There repertoire comes from a less familiar branch of modern guitar music, namely Balkan rhythms with jazz and folk idioms thrown in.