Paris

Dec 22 2017

Best of 2017 #31: Tony Allen – “The Source” (Blue Note Records)

 

It’s been a fruitful collaboration between Tony Allen and Blue Note Records.  The drummer’s first release for the label was a tribute to Art Blakey, and it captured the high-voltage nature of the hard bop drummer’s classic sound while remaining true to his own voice on drums.  Allen’s second 2017 recording for Blue Note is The Source, and, remarkably, it somehow eclipses his first.  Bringing together afro-beat, post-bop, hard-bop, electronica and Afro-jazz speaks to the creative elasticity Allen has employed throughout a career of varied projects.  The electricity that’s generated by this thrilling music, Allen makes it seem as natural as breathing.

Music from Paris, France.

Read more at Bird is the Worm.

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Apr 29 2015

Recommended: Vincent Courtois – “Mediums”

 

The 2012 recording from cellist Vincent Courtois is struck through with vivid imagery.  Joined by frequent collaborators Daniel Erdmann and Robin Fincker, the pairing of their twin tenor saxophones and the cello of Courtois has the heart of a storyteller and the delivery of a filmmaker.  The tale of Mediums is told with a pastiche of visions and ambiance.

The thick bank of harmonies on “Mounting” sets the scene with a stark beauty.  The sprouting lines of melody on title-track “Mediums” is cut through with bisecting lines from cello, crosshatching effusive articulations with a scathing rebuttal.

The dissonant flutter & shriek of “Entresort” is balanced out by the alarming unease of “Une inquiétante disparition (part 1),” which calms itself by whistling a comforting melody, aided further by the soothing whisper of “Regards.”

The dust storm of “Jackson’s Catch” whips the melody about everywhere… an effect not unlike the competing conversations of “Une inquiétante disparition (part 2)” and how the overlapping lines of dialog create a cryptic, foreboding verse.

“Rita and the Mediums” begins disjointedly, but gradually gains momentum and cohesion, rising up like the sun over the horizon.  This is bolstered by “La Femme Sans Corps” with its languid motion and off-the-cuff melodic delivery.  It’s the deep quiet of the dead of night and the disquieting sounds that call out from the darkness.

The three-part “Bengal” suite goes about tangling the melody into a tight ball.  Sometimes, when it reaches a confluence, the song emits the prettiest of sounds.  The sweet sigh of “La Nuit des Monstres” takes that result to a greater extreme.

The album ends with “The Removal,” a tune that bobs peacefully on the surface of the water… its cadence hypnotic, its melody strangely alluring, and its note of finality immensely satisfying and one that aptly encapsulates this enchanting album

Your album personnel:  Vincent Courtois (cello), Daniel Erdmann (tenor sax) and Robin Fincker (tenor sax).

Released in 2012 on La Buissonne.

Listen at Bandcamp.  Explore the artist on Soundcloud.

Music from Paris, France.

Available at:  Bandcamp | eMusic | Amazon

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2012 Releases • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Apr 28 2015

Recommended: Vincent Courtois – “West”

 

Vincent Courtois - "West"West is an absolutely captivating chamber jazz session from cellist Vincent Courtois, and it joins an impressive collection of similar projects released over the years, each of them enchanting in their own way.

On his newest, he’s joined by frequent collaborators, saxophonist Daniel Erdmann and multi-reedist Robin Fincker, as well as pianist Benjamin Moussay.  Interspersed throughout are solo cello pieces, and the shift between an austere beauty and the subtle, yet dynamic textures of the collaborative pieces creates an ebb and flow that is positively magnetic.

The slow harmonic build of “So Much Water So Close To Home” is matched beautifully with a quivering melody.  The gentle raindrops of “1852 Metres Plus Tard” is a slow reveal of sharp flashes of lightning.  “Modalites” is a gripping crosshatch of layers and permutations of repetition.  “Nowhere” is cold moonlight and “L’intuition” is the lonely soul staring up at it.  “West” soars & gallops simultaneously while “Freaks” is an old soul strolling slow.

The frantic march of “Tim au Nohic” dials it down for “Désarçonné” without sacrificing a bit of its fervor.  When it dials it back up for “Semaphore,” the flow of the transitions is as natural as water wending its way between rocks in a stream.

Some of the tunes hit a solemn Sunday morning jazz while others veer off into classical and ambient territory more akin to a Steve Reich or Brian Eno.  This is peaceful music that flashes some sharp teeth from time to time… and ultimately winds up being a massively sublime affair.  The album ends with a reprise of “1852 Metres Plus Tard,” and emphasizes exactly that last point.

Your album personnel:  Vincent Courtois (cello, guide chant), Daniel Erdmann (tenor sax), Robin Fincker (clarinet, tenor sax) and Benjamin Moussay (piano, harpsichord, celesta, toy piano).

Released on La Buissonne.

Listen on Bandcamp.  Explore the artist on Soundcloud.

Music from France.

Available at:  Bandcamp | eMusic | Amazon

By • Beyond Jazz Reviews, Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2015 Releases • 0 • Tags: , , ,

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