Jazz & Instant composition
Voice & double bass
“An amazing concert. Experimentation. We are in an urban jungle. We are in a bar. We are on the roof of a building in London. We are on a street, and the music is with us. As long as there are voices like Sascha’s and instruments such as Laurent's, everything will be fine.”
ECHO from JAPAN - August
“The Wee Hours”.
German-Luxembourgish singer Sascha Ley & French bassist Laurent Payfert have released this debut album in 2015 after three years of playing live. It's not the simple style where the bass accompanies the voice. Ley uses lyrics, scat, instrumental and experimental ways as well as a theatrical approach to her singing. The bass, skilled at percussive play, puts pizzicato on top of a loop of the bow... An exceptional and unprecedented duo from this country. Also different from e.g. Sheila Jordan and Arild Andersen, I cannot think of a duo to compare with. In their way of using the voice like an instrument and the percussive usage of the bass together with the layering of loops as an add-on, the duo is unique in the Luxembourg jazz scene.
Hiroki Sugita, Jazz Perspectives (JPN), August 2017
ECHO from CREST JAZZ VOCAL - August
Sascha Ley is a complete artist, actress of theatre, cinema, author of plays (..) and also singer. She is accompanied by her faithful double bass player Laurent Payfert. The duo offers us a set of vocal jazz, virtuoso, esoteric. A well-honed duo, knowing each other by heart. Sascha vocalises, sings, creates sounds, noises and samples. The double bass follows, accompanies, or plays ahead. Osmosis. The universes are varied, one passes by romantic compositions, sequences of experimental jazz, and even a blues of Led Zeppelin. A high-level vocal mastery (..) Jazz-Rhône-Alpes Aug 3, 2017 (FR)
ECHOES from the UK
Luxembourg vocalist Sascha Ley and French bassist Laurent Payfert are a remarkable duo whose beautifully integrated music breathes fresh life into familiar songs, as well as heading off in bold new directions as Sascha's wordless vocals interweave with Laurent's freely melodic playing. Hypnotic and mesmerising.
Gateshead Festival Newcastle 2017
ON AIR
25.02.2017 on Radio ARA
14h00 - 15h00
RECENT REVIEWS
JAZZTHING last November
Sascha Ley is a multiple talent: actress, director, and of course jazz vocalist. In the duo with the French bassist Laurent Payfert, she designs a fascinating modern jazz with a multifaceted alto voice. 11/16 Martin Laurentius
CONCERT REVIEW :: FESTIVAL JAZZ EN SOL MINEUR :: Longwy (France) August 16
To see and to listen to Sascha Ley and Laurent Payfert in concert, is really something. On one side: a woman, singer, composer and actress, in short a complete artist, who shares a great pleasure with the audience to exploring her voice and bending it in every direction. On the other: a man and his other half, the double bass, which he knows by heart. From compositions extracted from their album "The Wee Hours" to covers and frenzied improvisations: you leave a concert by Sascha Ley and Laurent Payfert with balm for your soul. The audience does not want to cease their applause and eventually leaves the auditorium, entranced. Kévin Kroczek, LAND Kultur 08/16 (read more)
ALBUM REVIEWS
In case you know Sascha Ley, you will know what to expect from this CD. The Saarbrücken born vocal artist from Luxembourg, who also works as an actress and composer, is – if one may say so – without parallel in Europe. Melodious, expressive and with stunning lyrics (three of which can be found on the cover). Of course she makes ample use of her voice, not only when reciting/singing the lyrics, but also in order to perform them in a moving manner; in every respect an extraordinary singer and musician. She is accompanied by the bass player Laurent Payfert and thereby connected to the entire spectrum of acoustic music this enchanting solo artist stands for. There is a lot of storytelling, acting and improvisation involved in each of these songs. Here we find music and drama combined in a unique way. 11/15 Hans-Jürgen von Osterhausen JAZZ PODIUM (D)
