Paris

Jan 28 2020

Best of 2019 #30: Roberto Negro & Théo Ceccaldi – “Montevago”

 

This site used to have a series called Something Different, in which music that fell outside the jazz mainstream would be featured.  That series was dropped, because, really, something different could describe most of the music featured on Bird is the Worm.  But, even in that context, the music of Roberto Negro and Théo Ceccaldi is something quite different indeed.  Their latest collaboration, the duo project Montevago, is a graphic illustration of their ability to combine alien melodicism, cross-genre hopscotch, and a thick sense of humor in one singular form of expression.  Montevago is chamber music and modern jazz and raw experimentalism shaped as a startling approximation of electronic music.  Both pianist Negro and violinist Ceccaldi are enthusiastic adherents to prepared piano and extended violin techniques, and it goes a long way to expanding the tonal range of musicians who have a pretty long wingspan to begin with.  This music is serious and funny, seriously funny, and fun.  Quite often, it imitates the motion of dance.  It’s just sometimes, the dance is something that could not possibly be executed by the human body… at least, not without, first, brutalizing the laws of physics.  Simply outstanding.

Your album personnel:  Roberto Negro (piano) and Théo Ceccaldi (violin).

Released on the Full Rhizome label.

Music from Paris, France.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Amazon

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Jan 22 2020

Best of 2019 #52: Synestet – “Les Usures”

 

The music is menacing at its most serene, smiling at its most furious.  The counterintuitive tones of Synestet result in colorful explosions of melody and rambunctious rhythmic dialogues, and a constant hum of electricity throughout, as if tapped into the heart of the city.  Even when the quintet of bass clarinetist Hélène Duret, tenor saxophonist Sylvain Debasieux, guitarist Benjamin Sauzereau, double bassist Fil Caporali and drummer Maxime Rouayroux dive deep into contemplation, it’s made understood that this is merely a temporary condition before volatility strikes yet again. That abiding uncertainty is what drives this album and makes it so much damn fun.

Your album personnel:  Hélène Duret (clarinet, bass clarinet), Sylvain Debasieux (tenor sax), Benjamin Sauzereau (guitar), Fil Caporali (double bass), and Maxime Rouayroux (drums).

The album is Self-Produced.

Music from Paris, France.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp

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Jan 22 2020

Best of 2019 #53: Christophe Panzani – “Les Mauvais Tempéraments”

 

Christophe Panzani paints a sunrise on his 2019 release, and it’s a different one with each of the seven pianists he duets with on Les Mauvais Tempéraments.  Sometimes the music is pure tranquility and other times it kicks out some heat, but each piece on this lovely album radiates the contemplative atmosphere when the day is only just beginning and the world still retains a state of sleep peacefulness.  It’s a continuation of his 2016 release Les Âmes Perdues, and no less a joy to hear.  The pure intimacy between two musicians, locked in conversation in the same room with just their instruments as the method of communication is the kind of thing that leads to profound moments and insights that can never be fully encapsulated with mere words.  We need more recordings like this, and hopefully Panzani is only just getting started with this phase of his creative journey.

Your album personnel:  Christophe Panzani (tenor sax) and guests: Yonathan Avishai, Edouard Ferlet, Eric Legnini, Leonardo Montana, Yael Naim, Tony Paeleman, and Guillaume Poncelet (piano)

Released on the Jazz & People label.

Music from Paris, France.

Listen |  Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

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Jul 3 2019

Album of the Day: Awake – “Aubes et Crépuscules”

 

Artist:  Awake

Album:  Aubes et Crépuscules

Label:  Jazz & People

Style:  Modern post-bop

Favorite Track: “Rêverie”

Music from:  Paris, France

What I like about it:  I like how little hints of a folk-jazz sound pop up from time to time, and how they accentuate the modern sound with something a bit rustic.  I like how even the up-tempo pieces seem to beat with the heart of a ballad, as if the quintet Awake sees a love song everywhere they look.  When the ensemble turns the heat up, I like how it’s never with the intention to burn, only to mesmerize.

Your album personnel: Romain Cuoq (tenor sax), Anthony Jambon (guitar), Leonardo Montana (piano), Florent Nisse (double bass), Nicolas Charlier (drums), and guests: Anne Sila, Bastien Picot (voice).

Available at: Amazon | Bandcamp

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.

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Feb 4 2019

The Round-up: It seemed like ages ago. Maybe it was.

 

Here is some very good new music

 

Restroy – Restroy (1980 Records/Milk Factory Productions)

Pretty sure I’ve never used the phrase hauntingly tuneful before to describe an album, but that’s what you got with the self-titled debut from Restroy.  The ominous tones and ethereal presence combined with striking melodic inspirations gives the sensation of a band that is channeling the spirits of forgotten pop songs.  A solid line-up of bassist Christopher Dammann, trumpeter James Davis, cellist Kevin Davis, keyboardist Paul Giallorenzo, pianist Mabel Kwan and drummer Avreeayl Ra bring about a communion of organic and electronic sounds that comes off as an uneasy alliance… a quality that kicks up the undercurrent of tension a few notches.  Music from Chicago.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

Soon – Something Out Of Nothing (Caligola Records)

This is one of those recordings you just sink into like the most comfortable sofa at the end of a long week.  The melodies on this trio session are an open door, but the depth of the recording is felt in the waves of harmonics that wash over everything.  With this lovely piano trio recording in hand, pianist Roberto Soggetti, bassist Giulio Corini and drummer Emanuele Maniscalco are here to make everything right in your world.  Music from Brescia, Italy.

No artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Mauro Gargano Mo’Avast Band – Born in the Sky (iOSA)

The casual lyricism on Born in the Sky can lull you into a place where it’s easy to forget just how powerfully these melodies are gonna get delivered.  And Mauro Gargano‘s quartet does lean into these melodies, returning to them frequently between some wonderful soloing.  And while those solos will keep the attention locked in place, the album is at its strongest when the entire quartet gets involved, meshing into and criss-crossing the trajectories of their counterparts.  Music from Paris, France.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Alvaro Severino – Ngen-Kürüf (Discos Pendiente)

That Alvaro Severino takes a sonic road trip across South America’s folk musics is plenty absorbing all on its own, but it’s his airy, free-flowing delivery on acoustic guitar that represents this recording at its most captivating.  The Chilean guitarist’s quartet (with trumpet, double bass and drums) keep up an amicable chatter throughout the session, and a tone that could give a beam of sunlight a run for its money.  Music from Essen, Germany.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Evil Genius – Experiments on Human Subjects (Orenda Records)

The enthusiasm of Evil Genius is pretty damn infectious.  The music is too volatile to contain, too fast to keep pace with, and so damn fun.  The trio of guitarist Max Kutner, tubist Stefan Kac and drummer Mike Lockwood get a whiff of a melody and take off after it, never looking back.  Those brief, rare moments when they enter a fugue state of harmony are captivating as hell.  Punchy attitude, party atmosphere.  Music from Los Angeles, CA.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

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