Tiny Reviews: Olivier Bogé, Joe Chambers, Trio Enchant(i)er, & Christian Escoude

 

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Olivier Bogé Imaginary Traveler, Joe Chambers Joe Chambers Moving Picture Orchestra, Trio Enchant(i)er Les Composantes Invisibles, and Christian Escoude Plays Brassens Au bois de mon coeur.

*****

 

Olivier Bogé – Imaginary Traveler

Some albums have the subtlest way about drawing listeners in.  There’s no showy solos, the melodies are solid and unfussy, volume is measured out in even quantities, and no one particular track really stands out from the pack, and yet, with no defining hook or catch phrase to reel the ear in, the sound of the album’s last note immediately spurs the decision to start the album over again right from the start.

Saxophonist Olivier Boge has created one of those albums.

Your album personnel:  Olivier Bogé (sax), Pierre Perchaud (guitar), Tony Paeleman (piano, Rhodes), Nicolas Moreaux (bass), and Karl Jannuska (drums).

There is a relaxed ease to this album.  It is unhurried as it makes its point.  Guitar matches well with Fender Rhodes.  Sax blends in and out of the mix with a casual air.  Guitar alternates between sun and shade, and while there’s nothing wrong with the electric guitar sections, it’s when the steel string comes out that the tunes really shine.  Rhodes does a pretty decent facsimile of vibes, sending out bright notes for sax and bass to twirl around.  Drums keep up a pleasant chatter, more tick than thump.

Just an all-around enjoyable album.

Released on the Fresh Sounds New Talent label.

Jazz from the La Garenne Colombes, France scene.

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

 

Joe Chambers – Joe Chambers Moving Picture Orchestra

Veteran jazz drummer Joe Chambers just keeps on tickin’.  Decades ago, he was in the thick of the bop and free jazz movements, and today he’s still showing new facets to his playing and compositional talents.  His newest, recorded live at Dizzy’s in NYC, has him leading a big band, and features mostly his own compositions.  No curveballs, this is straight-ahead jazz goodness.  Track “Power to the People” is enchanting as all hell.

Your album personnel:  Joe Chambers (drums, vibes) with the Joe Chambers Moving Pictures OrchestraSharel Cassity, Tim Green (flute, clarinet, sax), Craig Handy (flute, sax), Sam Dillon, Frank Basile (sax), David Weiss , Josh Evans, Greg Gisbert, Frank Greene (trumpet), Conrad Herwig, Max Siegel , James Burton , Steve Davis (trombone), Xavier Davis (piano), Dwayne Burno (bass), Steve Berrios (percussion), and guest: Nicole Guiland (vocals).

Released on the Savant Records label.

Jazz from NYC (though Chambers does make Wilmington, NC his home).

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

 

Trio Enchant(i)er – Les Composantes Invisibles

Guitar, drums, and alto/soprano sax trio. Sorta avant-garde, sorta modern jazz, sorta post-rock. Three young musicians experimenting with sound and their own voices in music.  It’s a fun listen, and a promising start.

Your album personnel: Gregory Sallet (saxophones), Olivier Jambois (guitar), and Kevin Lucchetti (drums).

Stream a couple album tracks at the artist site.

Released on the Naive label.  Jazz from the Grenoble, France scene.

Available at eMusic.

 

Christian Escoude – Plays Brassens Au bois de mon coeur

French guitar veteran Christian Escoude offers up a beautiful series of tunes, heavy on the strings, but including a sublime contribution on clarinet.  Hot jazz for sitting in the shade down by the waterside.

Your album personnel:  Christian Escoude (guitar), Fiona Monbet (violin), Andre Villeger (clarinet), Jean Baptiste Laya (electric guitar), Pierre Boussaguet (acoustic bass), Anne Paceo (drums), Bireli Lagrene (acoustic guitar), Swan Berger (acoustic guitar), and Valerie Duchateau (classical guitar).

Stream an album track on the Sunnyside Records blog.

Released on Sunnyside Records label.

Available at eMusic.

 

*****

The Olivier Boge and Joe Chambers reviews are original to Bird is the Worm, but portions of the other reviews were originally used in my Jazz Picks weekly article for eMusic, so here’s some language protecting their rights to that reprinted material as the one to hire me to write about new jazz arrivals to their site…

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks,“ reprints courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2012  eMusic.com, Inc.

As always, my sincere thanks to eMusic for the gig.  Cheers.