Mathilde Febrer • Milou En Mai

The French violinist Mathilde Febrer has had a wide-ranging career. Although trained in classical music, jazz interested her much more. She has performed with rock groups (including Led Zeppelin), Claude Bolling, big bands, swing groups, and even on a recording of the music of James Reese Europe. Milou En Mai is her recording debut as a leader. A tribute to the great violinist Stephane Grappelli, it finds Ms. Febrer playing in a sextet that also includes Jean-Marie Ecay and Samy Dussat on guitars, pianist Alain Jean-Marie, bassist Yves Torchinsky, and drummer Julien Charlet. Paying homage to an instrumentalist who plays the same instrument can be tricky. One has to balance emulating aspects of the subject’s style with adding to the music; there is no point in trying to be an exact copy. While inspired by Grappelli in her sound and phrasing, Mathilde Febrer also displays her own musical personality throughout her well-rounded set. She performs two Grappelli originals (“Milou En Mai” and “Les Valseuses”), Django Reinhardt’s “Daphné,” a pair of swing standards, four of her pieces (including “Blues For Stéphane”), Bach’s “Double From No. 1 Partita For Violin,” and two other songs. Everything works well. Febrer has an attractive tone, impressive technique, and swings. The same could be said for Stephane Grappelli and one imagines that he would have enjoyed th