The track “Disappearing/Keep the Sharks from your Heart” might be the best example of what the quartet Le Tigre des Platanes is capable of. The groove is thick and heavy and could conceivably be used as a weapon for blunt force trauma, but damn, that melody is made for dancing and leaping off a stage and the soundtrack for high-speed car chases. Catchy and ferocious, both. And that, actually, is the best way to sum up their 2013 release Disappearing.
The unison of the brass-reeds front line often sounds like a single, diversified instrument, yet their presence gives the impression of twice their number. And when they add keyboards and synths to the mix, the rhythm section of acoustic bass and drums latches right onto that and takes the quartet for a spin.
Even when they slow things down on “Spooning” and let the groove sway more than charge, there’s always gonna be one instrument (in this instance, baritone sax) that leaps forward and clears the path ahead. The exception that proves the rule is the formless “Without Warning, His Heart Stopped Beating,” which is the rare time the quartet discards its focused forward momentum for individual wandering from the song’s center. And while it’s nice to have that track for a little differentiation, the spirit of the album is found in tracks like opener “From the Top of the Mountain,” which should play from alarm clocks everywhere to get the world out of bed every morning.
A very fun and exciting album.
Your album personnel: Piéro Pépin (trumpet, bugle, keyboards, voice), Marc Démereau (baritone & alto saxophones, synthesizer, voice), Mathieu Sourisseau (acoustic bass) and Fabien Duscombs (drums).
Aug 7 2016
Recommended: Le Tigre des Platanes – “Disappearing”
The unison of the brass-reeds front line often sounds like a single, diversified instrument, yet their presence gives the impression of twice their number. And when they add keyboards and synths to the mix, the rhythm section of acoustic bass and drums latches right onto that and takes the quartet for a spin.
Even when they slow things down on “Spooning” and let the groove sway more than charge, there’s always gonna be one instrument (in this instance, baritone sax) that leaps forward and clears the path ahead. The exception that proves the rule is the formless “Without Warning, His Heart Stopped Beating,” which is the rare time the quartet discards its focused forward momentum for individual wandering from the song’s center. And while it’s nice to have that track for a little differentiation, the spirit of the album is found in tracks like opener “From the Top of the Mountain,” which should play from alarm clocks everywhere to get the world out of bed every morning.
A very fun and exciting album.
Your album personnel: Piéro Pépin (trumpet, bugle, keyboards, voice), Marc Démereau (baritone & alto saxophones, synthesizer, voice), Mathieu Sourisseau (acoustic bass) and Fabien Duscombs (drums).
Released in 2013 on the Mr Morezon label.
Listen to more album tracks at the label’s Bandcamp page.
Jazz from the Toulouse, France scene.
Available at: Bandcamp
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By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2013 Releases • 0 • Tags: Le Tigre des Platanes, Mr. Morezon, Toulouse (France)