The story of Samarabalouf begins in November 1997 at Amiens. That year the theme of the international film festival focused on gipsies, the people of the road. François, who had just recently moved to Amiens, had in his knapsack a few pieces written in the gipsy swing and 40s musette styles and was invited to play them for the festival. In a few months, new compositions had been written and worked on at home with his wife Isabelle on the string bass and Nicolas Ionas, a local rhythm guitarist. The trio played regularly on the stages of the region for two years and decided to mark the year 2000 by producing thier own album with the name Samarabalouf . Some months later, François met Manu and Gavroche from the association « Toujours Plus », who decide to collaborate with developing the group. The concerts increased in numberand the trio began to gig in the different regions of France. I twas the cue for a personnal change in the musicians accompanying François : Pierre Margerin joined the group to take over the famous swinging rhythm guitar and Agnès Duvivier held the double bass chair. In 2001 as part of a cultural exchange program, Samarabalouf met the Mexican group Mono Blanco (in the Jarocho sound tradition : strings and singing). At Amiens then at Veracruz, the two groups joined together discovered each other and played together in the city, at home, in the countryside and on the stage ! Samarabalouf’s second album « La Valche Folle » produced by « Toujours Plus » and

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