The Getdown

The Getdown is a high-energy septet led by organist Laurent Coulondre and drummer Arnaud Dolmen. The project explores Caribbean music from the French West Indies and Cuba, featuring a rotating collective of talented musicians. For this Jazz à la Villette performance, they are joined by pianists Rolando Luna and Mario Canonge, alongside saxophonist Ferdi, trumpeter Yasek Manzano, and flutist-vocalist Mélodie Spartacus. The group emphasizes rhythmic fluidity and melodic agility, drawing inspiration from the legacy of Michel Petrucciani. The evening opens with poet and musician aja monet, a charistmatic voice of committed America. Her work blends spiritual jazz with soul and blues, as heard on her acclaimed albums "when the poems do what they do" and "the color of rain." Her music is characterized by encompassing arrangements and powerful, spoken-word delivery.