2026 therefore marks Papanosh’s 20th anniversary. Far from wishing to celebrate this milestone as a wistful photo album or a mausoleum for a glorious musical narrative – which is, above all, a unique, human and democratic artistic adventure – the five members wanted to return to the drawing board and the fresh air of their residencies to give themselves time to devise a collective repertoire that truly reflects who they are. This show is entitled Yes I Are!, very much in keeping with the zany English-language titles of their previous repertoires, which subtly reflect their light-hearted approach to the seriousness of so-called contemporary music and trace the thread running through their music, steeped in African-American aesthetics. Above all, it is a cry from the heart for the collective, in which the individual does not lose their identity but, on the contrary, flourishes and expresses themselves even more uniquely. And to craft this new chapter, Sébastien Palis brings the distinctive timbres of the Mellotron to his piano, whilst Raphaël Quenehen enriches his saxophone with percussion and flutes from around the world.

A production by the Les Vibrants Défricheurs collective, in co-production with Jazz sous les pommiers – a leading jazz centre, Jazzdor Strasbourg and Le Pannonica Nantes.
The Les Vibrants Défricheurs collective is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Communication / DRAC Normandy, the Normandy Region and the City of Rouen. It is supported by the Seine-Maritime Department and the town of Sotteville-lès-Rouen.