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Nuit parisienne à La Havane

("A Parisian Night In Havana")

VINCENT SEGAL & ROBERTO FONSECA

Released 13 January 2026

Montuno Producionnes

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This project should be listened to in the spirit of Keith Jarrett’s Köln Concert. Close the door, take your time, and let yourself be carried away by the cathartic frequencies of this delicate, spontaneous, and insightful dialogue.​

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Roberto Fonseca and Vincent Segal have both stood out for years due to their ability to transcend genres. Their careers are a journey through various musical styles, ranging from contemporary music to electronic, passing through jazz and world music.

Roberto Fonseca began his career with the Buena Vista Social Club ™ and has never stopped collaborating with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spalding, Ibrahim Maalouf, Fatoumata Diawara, C. Tangana, Damon Albarn, to name just a few.

Vincent Segal, on the other hand, effortlessly plays with artists from all backgrounds, including Cesaria Evora, Vanessa Paradis, Dick Annegarn, Ballaké Cissoko, Matthieu Chedid, Glenn Ferris, among others. Both have been nominated for prestigious awards such as the Victoires de la Musique and the Grammy Awards.

From the sensual and swaying dances of his 2023 project La Gran Diversion, Robert now embarks on a more intimate dialogue: “This project began with the desire to tell stories and share lived experiences," he says, "The classical influence is present, and most of the pieces were worked on in advance, but once in the studio, we allowed ourselves to improvise, to capture the moment. It’s a real pleasure to work with Vincent; his way of creating has neither barriers nor limits.”

Their frantic journeys pause for the time of a meeting, as if they were being asked to breathe, to listen, to turn inward, now. For this, a maieutic approach was needed. Vincent recounts how this dialogue between the two artists began: “The first time I heard Roberto’s piano was almost twenty years ago, in Rome, at the extraordinary Palazzo Farnese, where we were both invited to play solo" says Vincent. "In a room adorned with lush frescoes, Roberto reflected Rome’s own intensity. He was both very relaxed and highly focused, and it was a privilege to listen to him play alone before a very select audience arrived. Years later, Roberto invited me to join him at the Vannes Festival to perform a piece with our friend Mayra Andrade. He was playing in a trio, and I found the same balance between relaxation and deep introspection. Much later, when Roberto invited me to play a duo at the Biarritz Festival, I was thrilled because I knew I would once again experience that elegance and sensitivity. With him, I rediscovered the classical cello of my childhood, but infused with rhythms, improvisation, and space - elements that are rarely present in classical music. Moreover, playing with my cello felt like going even deeper into understanding Roberto’s character. When we finally had our first recording session, I was fascinated by his intimate, noble, sensitive, and generous nature. That evening, I left the studio with the impression that we had recorded something truly precious. It’s hard to explain why, but I just knew it…”​​​​

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