Camille Bertault and David Helbock are two of the most jaw-droppingly talented members of the cohort of European jazz musicians currently in their mid-thirties. Their journeys in improvised music are always adventurous, playful and exciting. She is the new rising star of French vocal jazz. He, Austrian-born, is one of the most fascinating pianists on the scene. Their two personalities might appear to be polar opposites, yet Bertault’s live-wire humour and Helbock’s calm self-assuredness only appear to be different on the surface. When it comes to the musical choices they make, they are emphatically on the same page.
They both have a grounding in classical music. Bertault also studied the piano until she was 20, before taking up singing; they both love the whole spectrum of music; they are both masters in allowing works from the established canons of different genres to shine in a new light, imprinting their personalities and their own style on them.

Their live premiere as a duo happened 2021 at the INNtöne Jazz Festival. It was very enthusiastically received, and the set performed at the influential festival in Austria became the basis for “Playground“, a kaleidoscope of sounds and emotions which invigorates, excites and surprises.
The craft and technique may be breathtaking, but neither musician ever forgets the essential: “It’s not about showing strength or virtuosity, but about expressing the truth of the moment,” says Camille Bertault. And that is what she and David Helbock deliver with each and every track.

Camille Bertault: voice
David Helbock: piano, percussion, live-looping, effects

[photo: Joanna Wizmur]