Thank you for sharing this, Alain.

Olivier is a great musician and a really nice guy.
I learned a lot by listening and watching him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkJXb8T8hnM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZkD6gFS5mg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqRfCYE3aww

And more on YT...a very good LH.

We all love him

Thanks for sharing.
I enjoyed his style of playing and his performances in france.

Amazing music !!! Thank you for sharing!

Brett

Yep, he rocks!

Where does all that talent come from? I was there once, in Brittany at the AFSTG Seminar in Allaire, 2005. I didn't believe it at first and thought it was some elaborate mythology and PR, but then I saw it's unbridled expression in casual performances everywhere. It seems good music and art are natural and commonplace among the French, so popular in fact that there seems no gulf between pop and serious art, defying all my experiences as an American, where the chasm goes deep.

Some of the best Stick players are French and they seem to be performers to the bone. Olivier "Catbass" is one of the exceptional artists among them and I've been a long time fan! I admire his music, his Stick technique, voice, phrasing, stage presence, even his natural modesty - the whole package. When everything's working for you, there are no false steps (except with a nod and a smile).

So where does it come from? Sure, you could say that talent is inherent in the unique culture. Or maybe it's the CLAC funded government priorities for the arts and hobbies, still I feel that these are mere reflections of a more ancient soul purpose and language. We might have to take a second look at the cave drawings to find the answer.

Then again, there's no need to geologically turn time back to the stone age when there's a more recent artistic phenomenon, Django's "Hot Club of Paris", I think it was called. This time it could be called "The Hot Club of France", finally a "bandwagon" for Stick and tap guitar.

I was so fortunate to meet and talk with Olivier in France. Watching him play and improvise on Bill Frisells " Strange Meeting " with drummer Antione was astonishing, I have a little of it on my phone. There's something about those guys, history , culture , etc , in the kitchen doing dishes with him after lunch chatting ( it's true) Olivier summed it up very simply when we discussed the flavour of their playing in that part of the world, and how I found it so engaging,, " we play from the heart" , made sense to me.