Arnaud Guichard: Tenor sax
James Kitchman: Guitar
Mikele Montolli: Double Bass
Jamie Murray: Drums
Serendip is a project led by saxophonist Arnaud Guichard featuring drummer Jamie Murray, guitarist James Kitchman and bassist Mikele Montolli. The project aims to explore the concept of program music used in romantic music into a jazz context with a focus on the meaning of serendipity.
Their first recording means to give a character perception and impressions of the 14th century Persian tale ‘The Three Princes of Serendip’ by Amir Khusrau. The Tale has a fascinating way of narrating the concept of serendipity through the story of three princes and their life adventure and also inspired the writer Horace Walpole to establish the word serendipity in the British dictionary in 1754.
The ensemble creates a unique universe of sound and draw their improvisational moments on the Persian origins of the tale but also through their own personal voices and inspirations in contemporary jazz, central African rhythms, meditative sounds and free jazz.