With the album Ombre – this is the third to be reissued in the Integrale series of his collected recordings – Romane confirmed his place as a worthy heir to Django Reinhardt while renewing his partnership with the exceptional violinist Florin Niculescu. The expressive palette of Romane’s group had evolved thanks to the presence of such guests as Francis Varis (accordion), Marcel Cazes (clarinet) or Thomas Dutronc (guitar). Romane’s compositions here cover the entire musical universe which resulted in gypsy swing, with pieces both acoustic and electric, waltzes and ballads. By 1996, long before the current vogue for swing, Romane’s six-string guitar had reached the summits, and for any enlightened fan of Django’s music this record comes as a brilliant demonstration of his talents. B. Goldenstein & P. Fremeaux
