LATEST REVIEWS

The combination of a female voice and a double bass is an attraction by itself - and if there is such a coherent chemistry as there is between the singer, actress and poet Sascha Ley from Luxembourg (born in Saarbrücken) and the French double bass player Laurent Payfert, the friends of experimental sounds should prick up their ears. The CD “It's alright to be everywhere” (JazzHausMusik), which comes up with relatively short, seemingly improvised pieces from own compositions, successfully resists hasty cataloging: Ley occasionally moves in the realms of traditional jazz singing, mostly she sets her own of course, tunes in like an instrument, whether archaically sounding and reminiscent of the singing of indigenous peoples or rhythmically percussive - Payfert creates the dialogue with the partner on the woofer in a correspondingly modern sound research with minimalist features. The album impresses with its spacious dramaturgy, and in the strongest moments Ley and Payfert open up almost cosmic soundscapes through the use of audio effects such as echoes, samples and loops, and with the support of the Gallic guest musicians Jean Pascal Boffo (guitar, electronics) and Murat Öztürk (piano) without missing the groovy grounding - that has both flow and depth at the same time. Stefan Uhrmacher, Saarbrücker Zeitung & Pfälzischer Merkur (DE) 02/20 

Very unique and absolutely captivating! The Luxembourgish-French duo Sascha Ley & Laurent Payfert offers often wordless, varied vocals in combination with a free melodic double bass. Although their dialogues are based on compositions, they both deal with them strongly improvisational. Ley’s Scat and avant-garde extroverted vocal arts add continuously new overlays to which Payfert adds minimalistic sound sculptures with his four-string. Very unique and absolutely captivating! Olaf Maikopf, Jazzthetik (DE) 01-02/20

Exceptional music. A very beautiful duo. An astonishing and fascinating voice ... in extraordinary harmony with Laurent Payfert. Superb.  La nuit des sauriens, Radio Stolliahc (FR) 01/20

A great record. This duo cannot leave anyone indifferent. Its musical direction is radical. Love it or hate it. I chose my camp: I am definitely subjugated by the voice of Sascha Ley and the one, which passes through the strings and the body of the double bass, Laurent Payfert. The music is, as the subject, uncompromising. The voice and the bass join as much as they tear each other apart, repel each other as much as they intermingle, answer each other as much as they anticipate. There is something very sensual about Sascha's singing and something animal too. She sings, hisses, whispers, hiccups and he scratches, glides, pinches. The pieces are short, intense, as pictorial as they are abstract, as poetic as they are raw. At a few moments, towards the end, Jean Pascal Boffo's guitar invites itself as if to prepare the arrival of the soothing piano of Murat Öztürk on a last piece, "Departure", of a beauty and elegance unheard of. It is like a veil that rises and reveals a clear sky. We float after this intense trip, we are well, we breathe and we say we've listened to a great record. Jacques Prouvost (BE) 12/19 

It’s Alright To Be Everywhere, which has been released by JazzHausMusik turns out to be quite nice. Ley has a definite style on her own developed as singer, actress, poet and composer, while Payfert has a typical wonderful European style and sound. Inspired by those wonderful Sheila Jordan duet albums, but takes a different direction. One Man’s Jazz (CA) 11/19

Once again Sascha offered the audience a monument of ingenuity and originality.

… a delightful delirium that involves the audience into an infinite, devestating, yet emotionally charged waltz. A journey that only Sascha can offer us. Her voice is unique. She paves the way for imaginary and illustrated worlds and universes which enable the listener to build and deconstruct all kinds of unprecedented scenes in his mind. Laurent Payfert is astonishing at the double bass, he is a man of sound, a ferryman of sound experiences. An massive musical program that took the listeners to the limits of psychedelism.” Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek 11/19 Michel Schroeder

The unbeatable combination of vocals and bass. Ley's vocals are great to listen to. Payfert is a very skilled and creative bass player. Together they have created an exciting and lovely album. You should definitely put this exciting and varied music at the top of your list. Jan Granli, Salt Peanuts (DK) 10/19 

An extraordinary duo - Recommendation of the week

Sascha Ley has a unique voice and style of interpretation that combines jazz improvisation, folk and contemporary music. The artist, reaching for various vocal techniques, comes out victorious from each practice, as evidenced by her concerts and records warmly received throughout Europe. Spontaneous sound creations are an interesting mix of contemporary jazz and experimental music. Carsten Dahl, Longplay (PL) 10/19

The new album by Sascha Ley and Laurent Payfert, It's Alright To Be Everywhere, reveals once again the experimental nature of their music. The opportunity for the public to (re) discover their talent for improvisation, characteristic feature of their music, sometimes impalpable, but still always explosive in live concerts. A duo that does not leave indifferent. Kévin Kroczek D’Land (LU)10/19

A very organic album ... a serious exploration of the depths and shallows of life in and of itself. Martina Folscheid Télécran (L) 10/19

ABOUT While we keep exploring the wide and wild universe of sounds, words, music and freedom our research also consists in finding the most organic way to combine and unite instant compositions with arrangements and composed works. Beyond the vocal and lyrical part of the instrumentation,  the exploration and combinations of even abstract sounds and expressions as an immediate form of communication are a vast and most beautiful field I love to explore. With Laurent on the bass the dialogue is as sparkling and fresh as ever, a quality that transmits the duo’s particular and exciting music in a natural way to the audience.

Discovering the unknown can be very exciting; the bridges to familiar sounds are built and transformed again. A journey, an adventure, curious ears are spoiled.

Our guests on the album are Jean Pascal Boffo - g, sfx and Murat Öztürk - piano - who both joined us for a couple of songs at the release concert and added some more colours to the album.

Sascha Ley

BUY The album will be available in shops as well as on the popular and on many other online shops or download sites worldwide ... and of course during the concerts. You can order your copy here as well 

Sascha Ley & Laurent Payfert present the subtle art of combining vocals and double bass. Based on mutual musical affinities, Luxembourg based vocalist, improviser, actress and poet and her congenial fellow musician from France open the doors to a special kind of sound journey that blends free improvisation, written and instant compositions with familiar sonorities. Dreamlike and suggestive soundscapes, experiments, sound painting, the use of extended vocal and instrumental techniques as well as narrative art take the audience to an always surprising, inviting and spirited experience off the beaten track. 

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“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.”

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