Rarely has a band’s name said more about their genesis and musical motivation than France’s Lehmanns Brothers. Their name reflects the story of a group of high school kids who become “groove brothers” when they shared their love of jazz funk and Afro-American rhythms while jamming daily in Angoulême in a small garage on Avenue Lehmann. While honoring legends like Prince, Ghost-Note and D'Angelo, they created mellow jazz-funk with echoes of hip-hop, house and neo-soul. Guitarist Alvin Amaïzo, drummer Dorris Biayenda and singer/keyboardist Julien Anglade avoid cover work and focus purely on creating experimental distinctive compositions. After four EPs, this spring saw the release of their long-awaited debut album Playground, which is another hit in terms of its title. It refers to where everything began, in that garage, where their love of rhythms, sounds and words came together on a blank playing field yet to be colored in.
