Concombre

What’s the identity of this year’s Athens jazz? Short answer: the 3 minutes and 37 seconds of the single “Konkombre 2000” by this well-kept secret of the French jazz scene. The wildest moments of Comet Is Coming meet the melodic sensitivity of BadBadNotGood, with dirty synths and frenetic rhythm lines setting the scene for epic saxophone riffs in one of the best singles of the past few years. Individually, the members of Concombre are veterans of their country’s jazz scene with many projects under their belts, but it’s when they play together that the sparks really start to fly! Their minimal digital presence and precious few live appearances have given Concombre an air of mystery that makes the buzz around their Athens Jazz live set even more palpable.