Tiny pathetic insect accidentally imported from North America in the early 70's, the tiger of the plane-trees (in French: Le Tigre des Platanes) reveals itself to be a fearsome parasite that undermines by the bark the majestic alignment of plane-trees edging the French boulevards and national roads. How clever! Le Tigre (…des Platanes) is also an acoustic and poisonous quartet that undermines and recycles in its own insolent way various everlasting kinds of music. Good for them. Trumpet, bugle, tuba, sousaphone, saxophones, voices, melodica and Drums, I know it makes more than 4 but some of them are polyglots.

The story
In 2001, Le Tigre des Platanes discovers the Ethiopique Collection and includes in its eclectic song book some chosen pieces by Mulatu Astatqé, Théshomé Metéku, amongst other, that it interprets in its own somewhat insolent way. In 2005, Francis Falceto, brilliant designer of the Ethiopic series, received a pirate recording of the Tigre des Platanes and got in touch with the quartet. In January 2006 Francis Falceto invited the Tigre des Platanes to participate to the Festival International of Ethiopian music. That's when the story begins…

Le Tigre des Platanes retied with one of his multiple sources of inspiration and flew off to Addis Ababa in January 2006 to participate to the International Festival of Ethiopian music. He came back refilled with a brand new energy, enriched by the journey and the encounters. The songbook of Ethiopian origin's pieces reinterpreted by the Tigre (…des platanes) made a leap and generated a new artistic drive, infusing some Ethiopian musicians with the desire of a deep-rooted collaboration, ready to play the game of real confrontation. In 2007, Etenèsh Wassié took up the challenge. "Eyes half shut, Eténèsh lets her voice guide her where it takes her (takes us), thrilling, digging, colossal little sister of such a Piaf and a Billie Holiday. But the register of tears wouldn't be enough for her, and she might as well, without warning, hasten the tempo after a ballade we would have wished endless."
Francis Falceto

2007 creation
Etenèsh Wassié / Le Tigre des Platanes ethio-jazz-experience
The challenge of this creation is - on the groundwork of the magnificent Ethiopian "standards", the Ambassel, the Tezeta… - to explore completely, in total integrity, the new and unknown territory laid ahead of the 5 musicians. A world made of the real grand total of their strong personalities.
Beside the tribute and the accompaniment of a great Azmari singer by four European musicians, it is an authentic Journey, with all the questioning implied, we're taken along at each gig.
So let's go!

Since its very beginning, the Tigre des Platanes has been concerned with Journey. Such as the pathetic insect from which it gets its name, imported by accident for North America in the early 70's, the music of the quartet from Toulouse stigmatizes the intermarrying, the importation, the impurity of cultural intermingling, the invasion, the embezzlement. All this in a muddle highly claimed!

With
Eténèsh Wassié : vocals
Marc Démereau : saxophones, melodica and screamophone
Fabien Duscombs : Drums
Piero Pépin : trumpet, bugle, melodica
Mathieu Sourisseau : acoustic bass and sousaphone
And the artistic complicity of Francis Falceto