Amour Courtois: Medieval Meets Jazz

Amour Courtois is a bold and evocative musical project led by French jazz pianist Baptiste Bailly, reimagining 14th-century French songs through the lens of contemporary improvisation. Inspired by the enduring emotional resonance of medieval melodies, Bailly collaborates with Matthew Baker on the baryton and Efren López on the hurdy-gurdy and ouds, crafting an anachronistic yet striking soundscape. Their repertoire – featuring works by Machaut, Binchois, and Lescurel – bridges centuries and highlights the timelessness of human expression.

Amour Courtois treats medieval songs not as static artifacts but as living works. While the original melodies are respected as closely as possible, with the aim of preserving their essence, the musicians change the settings, time signatures, chords, context, and costumes. Improvised or newly written passages are integrated into the pieces, like moments of intimate expression nourished by the eclecticism of their personalities and influences, revealing a touching and spontaneous musical craftsmanship, boundless and timeless.