When my children where younger, we would frequently visit my friend Dominique at his country home. We spent our days in our own world, getting up late, eating sporadically and musing in the garden while listening music. I would read books from the Love and Rockets series, a major contribution to the history graphic novels. Luba created by Gilbert Hernandez (Los Bros Hernandez) is a sexy, ?ery-tempered woman, whose adventures, as depicted in several episodes, take place in Palomar, a small village of Central America and also in California.
The marimba emulates the local color! The brilliant contribution of Guillaume Broquin on congas brings it all together.

Song for Nora
This 1981 tune is dedicated to my dear friend Nora from New Rochelle.
At that time, I was invited to a recording session produced by pianist-composer Philippe Saisse for his group Wet. Philippe Saisse on piano, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Jamie Glaser on guitar and Tim Landers on bass were inspirational. The tune was called Overture - it was based partially on triads (three notes chords) placed on bass pedals and on a nice "two feel", the type of material later used for Song for Nora.

Fay Douce
I wrote this song in 1984, a year after meeting my wife Cynthia. The bass line is inspired by a harmony exercise taken from the 80 basses et chants d'Henry Challan!
I asked the writer Merlin Stone (Cynthia's mother) to write the lyrics. After all she was the one that introduced us! She wrote then the charming words of Dancin' in the Sky on motifs from Fay Douce. Juliette Davis (our daughter) accompanied by Joachim Polack on guitar, sings the bridge of this song as a prelude to Fay Douce.

Jean-Michel Davis
Extract from CD booklet Vibraphone Jazz

Recording

1 CD Frémeaux & associés, FA8534, Vibraphone jazz
Jean-Michel Davis (vibraphone, marimba) - Frédéric Loiseau (guitar) - Raphaël Schwab doublebass) - Julien Charlet (drums) - Juliette Davis (voice) - Joachim Polack (guitar) - Guillaume Broquin (congas)