The Belgian string duo that calls itself Szabadsag brings to mind a song that admittedly resides well beyond the realms of bluegrass, that is, the U2 anthem, Two Hearts Beat As One. After all, despite the fact that Szabadsag are simply a twosome and not a full ensemble, they deliver the music with the full power and prowess share by outfits many times their size.
Consider their resumes. Jefferson Louvat, who plays mandolin, mandola and mandocello, picked up the mandolin at the age of eleven. Although mainly self-taught, he was inspired by other musicians who introduced him to bluegrass in his local environs, while providing endless inspiration in the years to come.
Louvatt says an early collaboration with his brother Steve, with whom he partnered in the Louvat Brothers (their story was shared in Bluegrass Today previously) became his first major initiative, especially after they received honors in 2012 as the Most Innovative European Bluegrass Band after performing at the European World Of Bluegrass festival in the Netherlands. Two famed musicians, who would later become good friends — violinist Byron Berline and banjo player Bill Keith — played important roles in gaining him access to the thriving American bluegrass scene during the ’90s. He went on to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, the IBMA, and throughout Northern America and Europe.
Fast forward to Szabadsag, his current duo with French violinist Ariane Cohen-Adad, who plays violin, viola, 5-string fiddle, and sings. She began her classical violin studies at age seven, and quickly garnered a first prize award at the Lyon Academy of Music. At fifteen, her father introduced her to Klezmer music through theatre, yiddish songs, and traditional stories. Her early band, Dibouk, had her carrying on from there, performing concerts, playing at workshops and entertaining at dance parties while sharing their yiddish culture. Her group Quintet Bumbac, a string quintet playing music from the Balkans, followed and found her traveling throughout France while spotlighting her skills on string and bow instruments.
To her credit, Cohen-Adad continues to expand her musical boundaries courtesy of modern music, classical music, orchestral music, chamber music, European music, and American traditional music, as well as improvisation. That’s in addition to creating music for dance and theater. She also has a degree in musicology from the Sorbonne in Paris, and a double diploma for the teaching classical violin and traditional music at CEFEDEM in Lyon.
Together, as Szabadsag, the duo combines bluegrass and klezmer/yiddish sounds within their repertoire. They’ve performed extensively in Belgium, France, Bulgaria, Sweden, Hungary, America, and Japan, as well as the World and Dance Music Festival in Japan, France’s La Roche Bluegrass Festival, the Urkult Folk Fest in Sweden, and the Örökség Világzenei Festival in Hungary. Their latest album, Ellis Island, received honors in the World Music category from the Octave de la Musique in 2021.
“I was born in Namur, Belgium,” Louvat explains. “Ariane is originally from Lyon, France. We met in the summer of 2014 at La Roche Bluegrass Festival, and we immediately found a common bond while blending our own musical influences. Although bluegrass and klezmer are geographically far apart, there are many connections between these two musical genres. The massive migrations from Europe to America at the turn of the 20th century were primarily responsible for that. When we realized how much we had in common, we decided we had to create something of our own. The name of our duet, ‘Szabadsag,’ is a Hungarian word meaning ‘freedom.’ It is also a magnificent bridge across the Danube in Budapest, and a symbol of two worlds connecting each other, which is the core of our musical identity.”
That’s proved to be the case ever since.
“With our instrumentation covering most of the sound spectrum ranging from the low mandocello to the high pitched mandolin and violin, and with mandola/viola in between, we’re able to combine a lot of textures and ambiances,” Louvat continues. “We enjoy working on the sounds our instruments can produce — specifically the dynamic. There are so many possibilities to use a bow or a pick. Together, our sound is pretty unique because it is very personal.”
In addition to the influences cited previously, Louvat points to that of one individual in particular. “I have many heroes, but if I have to pick one in particular, it would, without a doubt, be Sam Bush. I owe him so much. He truly showed me the way, even from when I was a kid. Thanks to him, I never gave up, and believe me, being a teenager playing mandolin in Belgium in the late ’80s and early ’90s was a very very hard road to drive on. I was barely the only one around.”
He also cites David Grisman, John Reischmann, Scott Nygaard, and Béla Fleck as among those artists he looked up to. “Ariane was gravitating in the violin world by listening mostly to extraordinary musicians such as David Oistrakh, Stuart Duncan, Casey Driessens, and Stuff Smith,” he adds.
In addition to playing with Bill Keith and Byron Berline — he did two tours of Europe with Keith in particular — Louvat did a mandolin workshop with Chris Thile when Nickel Creek came to France for the very first time in 2000. He and Cohen-Adad also remain in regular contact with Mike Marshall, due to the fact that Marshall resides part time in Germany.
“Our duet has been well received since the very beginning here in Belgium and France,” Louvat notes. “We covered most of the festivals and venues on the world music scene. Plus, we have been regularly invited to appear on various radio shows to promote our music.”
Asked what constitutes their repertoire, Louvett says that they tend to perform their own music as much as possible. “That gives the genuine imprint of our style and sound,” he adds. “To create something totally new is very exciting, and it adds a tiny piece to the global musical landscape. When we cover a trad song, we always arrange it in a way that makes it sound fresh, as if it’s never been heard before. For example, The Growling Old Man and the Grumbling Old Woman was rearranged in a way that makes it sound surprising and sparkling for the listener.”
Consequently, the pair’s devotion to bluegrass is easily understood.
“I think bluegrass spreads a very positive energy,” Louvet muses. “It makes people happy and joyful all over the world. It was quite popular in the ’70s in France, and then it seemed to have disappeared for a while. In Belgium, it always has been rather marginal and obscure until a decade or two ago. Nowadays, there is a kind of revival in western and central Europe, especially in the Czech Republic. Many more people — youngsters especially — learn to play the mandolin and banjo, even if they don’t play bluegrass specifically. So those instruments are no longer as ‘weird’ as they used to be in the past.”
His enthusiasm doesn’t end there. “Bluegrass is a challenging and extremely fun music to play, no matter your level,” he notes. “Anyone can enjoy being a part of a jam or band. Bluegrass music brings people together, and what do we need more these days than that?”
For mote informational on Szabadsag, visit them online.
If you are an artist or part of a group from outside the US who would like to be featured in our Bluegrass Beyond Borders column, please contact us!
