Toulouse Contour, the new album
Art Mengo, Yvan Cujious and Magyd Cherfi have understood the adage “unity is strength” and are releasing their first joint album, “Le Temps additional”, under the Toulouse Contour banner.
Attending a concert of these three funny and talented energetic people who get along like thieves on stage as in friendship and even, dare we say it, in brotherly love, does not appear among the worst memories. And hearing them, a few days ago, exchanging with humor and humor, presenting their first album, “Le Temps additional”, which crowns their collaboration, is not to displease. “We started working together in 2014 because at the time I had a proposal for carte blanche in Charentes Maritimes in a theater that asked me to invite singers from Toulouse. I immediately thought, and I don’t know why, of Magyd Cherfi and Art Mengo when they didn’t know each other at all. “Art Mengo does not hide his surprise from him at first with a consummate art of the tarpaulin of his companions:” I found that strange. Magyd, Zebda, it wasn’t my thing (laughs), Yvan host it wasn’t my thing (laughs), the accent, the side anchored in Toulouse, the region for one, integration for the ‘other, so at first it was no! “And, finally, the connection is established without forcing:” In truth it is the friendship which binds us immediately then, artistically the mayonnaise takes. But I believe that like in a business, it’s a human story that makes it work. And when there is human there is then the energy to do the artistic, and the energy for the rest. “
Passing time
Thanks to concerts, moments of laughter, audiences, repertoires as varied as those of Nougaro, Cabrel, Vassiliu, Nino Ferrer united in a single vocal trio, the alchemy is (slowly!) Until the next release. of this first disc which takes stock of the passage of time. And even if Art Mengo has 60 springs on the clock, Yvan Cujious balances: “Magyd, you’re getting older! “And the aggressor replied:” Except that I am not afraid to talk about age because deep in my heart I still have 17 brooms. After the morning when I get out of bed I’m closer to my seventies but it’s okay right? ! “Yes since,” adds Yvan Cujious “very happily, our personalities are naturally relieved, we are very different but at the same time we have this obvious link between us very strong, intimate, powerful. And so the repertoire follows since what preceded one summer was a real human love at first sight, of friendship. “In fact, the Brels, Brassens, Ferré, Higelin, Renaud and even Marcel Amont, still create links… Also the covers abound on this album but not that, five titles signed by the three artists appear in good place. And the writings by Magyd “address the concerns of guys who are old enough to know what to expect from love at those ages where we feel a kind of disillusionment with the time that has passed and an interrogation on a time of strong emotions to come… ”
Pascal Alquier
Single “Tomorrow, tomorrow” and album “Le Temps additional” (Released January 28, SCPP, Bleu Citron, L’Autre distribution). January 23 in Pithiviers, March 28 in Comines-Warneton in Belgium, February 8 at Café la Danse in Paris and March 12 in Tourouvre. Toulouse date to come