Meier's 2nd recording and his first CD with Belgian clarinettist Andre Donni.

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01		Just one of those things
02		Melody for
03		Daphne
04		Lentement Mademoiselle
05		I Won't Dance
06		I surrender Dear
07		I've found a new Baby
08		La Route de Paris
09		China Boy
10		Melody au Crepescule
11		Minor Swing
12		Nuages
13		Hondarribia
14		Libertango

Vintage Guitar Magazine
12.06.2006 - Hondarribia
Rarely is there such a perfect meeting of minds and music! Dutch Gypsy guitarist Lollo Meier has released several albums of stylish string jazz in recent years. Yet joining forces now with clarinetist André Donni results in a stellar duet.
Hondarriba revives the guitar-clarinet swing of Django Reinhardt's World War II-era Nouveau Quintette du Hot Club de France. Emulating Benny Goodman, Django replaced Stéphane Grappelli's violin with the modern woodwind sound of first Hubert Rostaing, and later Gérard Lévêque. This is a period of Django's music often overlooked in the United States as recordings from this time are tough to find.
Now, Meier and Donni remind us all that the acoustic guitar and clarinet seem to be made for each other.
Donni's tone is near magical - warm and pure and resonant. It's the perfect foil for Meier's charging, dynamic guitarwork, and together, they trade solos and lines with a fluidity that creates true jazz.
Their repertoire includes the usual Django tunes as well as several strong original compositions and an innovative take on neuvo tanguero Astor Piazzolla's Libertango Excellent!
MICHAEL DREGNI

Django Station
09.10.2005 - Hondarribia
This second album of Lollo Meier refers to the sound of the second quintet of Django Reinhardt, the lesser known period of the forties with Hubert Rostaing with the clarinet. Lollo Meier and André Donni do not hide their admiration for this formidable clarinettist of Django and the result exceeds our hopes; with Domenica Piérard and Jonny Gee in the rhythm section, the two soloists offer up a marvellous homage, without hustle but... in music! Great spirit and very Hot Club! Also three splendid compositions of Lollo: two whirling waltzs (Melody for "Quecumbar" which turns and will turn a long time, and Hondarribia with a superb arrangement) and also a pretty ballad (the La Route de Paris whose intro will work the fingers in the thatched cottages!). The guitarist appears a formidable melodist here, very much like the musical quality and singing air that one associates with another formidable improviser, Fapy Lafertin. Virtuosity and technique, always present but remaining in the service of the music; one is in the spirit of Django, no doubt! As for Andre Donni, his playing marries that of Lollo admirably; these two were there! A soft and light sound, a constant inventiveness, lyrical flights never shouting at us... On the ballades, one would believe that the wind is blowing delicately! A very pretty disc, made from the heart and which you should order directly from the producer! DJANGO STATION


Etudes Tsiganes
30.06.2005 - Hondarribia
With this second disc, Manouche Dutch guitarist Lollo Meier has found the partners he needed: Andre Donni on clarinet, the guitar of accompaniment of Domenique Pierrard (ex of Waso) and Jonny Gee on double bass: an unbeatable quartet lean towards one particular period of Django, (from the war where the famous Gypsy replaced the violin of Grappelli, who remained in England, with the clarinet of Hubert Rostaing), and they interpret it in very classic fashion. The rhythm section unrolls a carpet of light and airy swing leaving the two soloists particularly inspired. As for Lollo, he is a designer in the style of Fapy Lafertin, virtuosic phrasing paired with beautiful articulation (witnessed clearly at the festival de Django Reinhardt in Samois last June) He plays with sensitivity and always within the service of the music letting it breathe (for example on his solo on Lentement Mademoiselle) and playing as much with the heart as with the fingers.
14 titles alternate Django (Daphne, Melodie au Crepescule, Minor Swing, Clouds) with the standards (Just one of those things, I surrender Dear, I've found has new baby...)
Also included are three of Lollo’s beautiful compositions: Melody for Quecumbar, his splendid sentimental ballade Route de Paris, and the removed swing and title track Hondarribia. With this very beautiful disc of very traditional style, the four-star quality of Lollo Meier shines through and should logically find him a label very quickly! FRANCIS COUVREAUX

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