Provenza Sessions originates from the musical connection between Kepa Junkera and Patrick Vaillant, which came to fruition in the early 1990s when Riccardo Tesi introduced them. The intensity of that initial encounter remained deeply imprinted in the memory of the Occitan musician, particularly when performing “Huriondo” live: “It was a moment of great strength and emotion that I still remember vividly,” Patrick recalls.

The concept of a mandolin quartet, however, did not come from Patrick but from Thomas Biénabe, another member of the group, inspired by the American Modern Mandolin Quartet. To bring this vision to life, they worked with Marseille-based luthier André Sakellaridès, who built a unique, fully functional quartet without the need for guitar, opening up new sonic possibilities.

In 2009, Kepa proposed collaborating with Patrick to reinterpret several of his compositions with the quartet. Vaillant handled the arrangements, ensuring a creative dialogue between trikitixa and mandolins, leaving space for improvisation while respecting the strength of the original pieces.

The Melonious Quartet is formed by Patrick Vaillant and Thomas Biénabe on mandolins, Patrick Osowiecki on mandola, and Jean-Louis Ruf on mandoloncello. The group photographs were taken by Santi Yaniz in the cloister of the Euskal Museoa in Bilbao, next to the zoomorphic Mikeldi sculpture.

The album brings together 14 compositions from seven different albums, highlighting four pieces from the recent Hiri and “Uluka”, composed by Kepa for the first Oreka Tx record. The recording took place at Balea Studios in Bilbao, with all musicians playing simultaneously in separate spaces while remaining visually connected through a window. Patrick recalls how Kepa would use every pause to refine his solos, and how, after a concert at the Arriaga Theatre, some audience members recognised him shouting: “Hey, we know you!”, recalling a 1996 Oskorri 25th anniversary event in Getxo.

Record label: Hiri Records. Production: Kepa Junkera & Patrick Vaillant Pro.