Following the success of Love Is Everywhere (2020), Laurent Bardainne  returns to Heavenly Sweetness with his Tigre d’Eau Douce ensemble for a second album of free-flowing, jazz-inflected groove. Hymne au Soleil is a dreamlike, cinematic excursion to the outer reaches of the solar system and the inner workings of the soul, which sees French saxophonist Laurent Bardainne summoning the spirit of astral jazz textures on a heavy-grooving new project.

The 11-track album represents a consolidation of Bardainne’s vision as a consummate jazz saxophonist, after the act’s impressive debut album and having collaborated with the likes of Pharrell Williams and Cassius, afrobeat legend Tony Allen and co-founding Tigersushi electro outfit Poni Hoax. That eclectic experience comes to the fore on Hymne au Soleil. Beginning with the lilting, late-night smoker “Oh Yeah”, the album rolls through a rich musical landscape, whether in the Motown-era soul breakdowns of ”Adieu My Lord” or the roaring, dance floor-ready “Hymne au Soleil”. The album is further coloured with the Pharoah Sanders-meets-Funkadelic freak-out “Destination Danger” or in the lush and nostalgic coloser “Oiseau”. Recorded in April 2021, Hymne au Soleil continues a prolific streak for the multi-faceted artist, setting himself in the constellation of saxophonists. Available on vinyl, via Heavenly Sweetness.

Laurent Bardainne • Tenor saxophone, synthesizer
Arnaud Roulin • Organ, synthesizer
Sylvain Daniel • Bass
philippe Gleizes • Drum
Roger Raspail • Percussions

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