© Julien Philips
“Far from the shady bankers of New-York, it was in Angoulême in 2012, in a small garage on Avenue Lehmann, that five high-school music students found themselves and met-up, groove brothers, sharing the same passion for Afro-American rhythms.
Influenced by funkers such as Prince, Ghost-Note and D’Angelo, the little Frenchies intend to revisit the famous jazz-funk of the seventies, while instilling it with echoes of hip-hop, house and nu-soul.
But there are no covers here, as these young musicians, with four EPs to their credit, present only compositions, compositions by the band’s members: guitarist Alvin Amaïzo, drummer Dorris Biayenda, keyboardist and keen vocalist Julien Anglade, in an incandescent rhythmic alchemy that has nothing to envy their prestigious rolemodels.
With their infernal rhythmic triangle backed up by fiery brass, giving you chills in the feet you cannot resist their legpounding repertoire for long. Their first concerts put everyone in agreement: it’s impossible to sit still! Their groove fuses jazz chords with elements of hip-hop, nu-soul and house. The Lehmanns Brothers take up the challenge of blending a contemporary interpretation of jazz with funk and afrobeat. Behind their unique sound, made up of explosive rhythms and incredible vocals, are the influences of James Brown, Jamiroquai, The Roots and A Tribe Called Quest.
It’s no coincidence that these Lehmanns Brothers, whose maturity commands respect already, impressed audiences by opening for Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Electro Deluxe and the Wu-Tang Clan, before being selected from some 700 bands to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival, then at the Blues-sur-Seine near Paris and Jazzahead festival.
With more than fifty concerts a year under their belts, criss-crossing Europe without ever leaving their audiences unmoved, the Lehmanns Brothers present in 2021 the EP The Youngling, Vol. 1, whose excellent single Inked travels across the Atlantic. An audience without borders began to develop. The single Rain from the EP The Youngling, Vol. 2 was released in 2022. A nod to Snarky Puppy, this production features a live studio session that leaves a lasting impression.
Never ceasing to present the energy of the Lehmanns Brothers to the four corners of the continent, the protagonists each embark on some other artistic energies: while Julien Anglade founded his solo project G.L.A.D, works with the urban collective Beyadi and the soul crew SHÆLIN, Dorris Biayenda joined the krautrock band Meule, which made a name for itself in record time, while Alvin Amaïzo developed an eponymous career whose first notes have already made a name for themselves.
In 2023, while the concerts continue in full swing, the three founders have in their heart the desire to regroup around compositions of a different hue, signaling a new era in the band’s dynamic.
The Playground album sets the record straight, while taking innovative liberties: it reminds us that the Lehmanns Brothers may be beasts of the stage, this signature album, breathes a funk that is resolutely dreamlike and urban, as soaring as it is percussive. A homemade achievement to be released on the 10H10 French label.” – Anaïs Rambaud
