Moncef Genoud returns with a new Swiss trio and their debut project, Pop Songs. Accompanied by electro-acoustic bass player Gabriel Scotti – the son of the late Achille Scotti, another blind pianist that used to be Moncef’s teacher and mentor back in the days – and young phenom drummer Valentin Liechti, Moncef adapts several classics of the Pop repertoire into jazz. The tunes, ranging from “Message In A Bottle” by The Police to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, to “Little Wing” byJimi Hendrix or The Doors’ “Light My Fire,” mark an interesting and playful departure from Genoud’s traditional jazz trio sound. Pop Songs also features a live concert version of “Poincinia” as a bonus track, along with “Juliane,” a new original ballad composed by Moncef. For the release party of this new album the trio will perform in Geneva’s Salle Athénée 4 on January 17th and 18th, 2015. A series of concerts will follow this spring in Sion, Lausanne, Cully, and Bern. Moncef will also perform for the very first time in Austria, on January 16th at Vienna’s famous Porgy & Bess club. Pop Songs is available in download here. The album will be released under licence in Japan. For more details on the upcoming concerts, please visit the “Tours” section.