Charlatan Transfer is a vocal jazz group formed in 1989 by its current conductor François Bessac . Composed of 13 performers, each of which has a serious background in classical music, Charlatan Transfer bridges the styles of jazz and choral chant to create a lively harmonic blend.
Charlatan Transfer's repertoire, composed of harmonies and complex rhythms, covers the golden ages of jazz, hot, swing, bop and Latin music in a cappella arrangements, or arrangements accompanied by percussion (piano, double bass, drums). Charlatan Transfer presents its repertoire in the form of a show complete with soundboard and spotlights, or in the form of acoustical concerts.
To ensure a broad diversity of musical forms, the group works with the original scores of such major vocal groups as The Real Group or Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, Vox P, Singers Unlimited. (that is, when the group doesn't arrange its own scores on the spot!).
Convinced that a vocal group is as much a single entity as the sum of its parts, Charlatan Transfer aims to develop a specific resonant texture through significant work in the a cappella genre. Charlatan Transfer undergoes (either individually or as an entire group), frequent jazz interpretation training sessions with renowned artists such as Laurence Saltiel , Roger Letson, Joy Kane, etc.
Since its creation, Charlatan Transfer has given nearly 80 concerts and shows, principally in the Grenoble area, but also in Quintin in the region of Brittany, in Provence, and in the surrounding areas of Lyon. The group has been invited to an array of jazz and choral chant festivals including Festival Chorijazz, Festival des Choralies, Festival "Europa Cantat" in the city of Nevers, Les Vocales de Thônes, and the Festival "Swing under the stars" etc.
At its audience's request and for its own pleasure, Charlatan Transfer has already recorded two purely vocal jazz discs - the first opus with 7 songs in 2000 and more recently, in 2004, a disc with 15 songs. The latter has cappella and accompanied songs, Sing and Swing, whose several audio mp3 excerpts are available on the website www.charlatantransfer.com .
Puttin on the Ritz
Ain't misbehavin'
Pour Henri et Basie
It don't mean a thing
When I fall in love
Java Jive
Epilogue
