Artist: Vincent Peirani Album: Living Being IV (Time Reflections) Label: ACT Link: https://vincent-peirani.com/ Style: Contemporary Jazz
Encouraged by his musician father, Vincent Peirani took up the accordion and enrolled at the Nice Conservatory, where he studied classical clarinet. He won numerous prizes and classical music competitions with both his clarinet and his accordion. At the age of 20, he immersed himself in jazz and received instruction from Daniel Humair and Ricardo Del Fra, among others. His career in this style has been no less brilliant than in the previous ones, and alongside numerous publications under his own name, he has collaborated extensively in jazz, French chanson and world music, with Youn Sun Nah, Stromae and Richard Bona, to name but the most high-profile.
Signed to the ACT label since 2013, Vincent Peirani uses his accordion not to define his music, but as a means of travelling between styles. The fact that he performs as part of a quintet on this album allows him to multiply the facets of the tracks, reflecting the artist’s influences. In the track ‘LL’ (a tribute to Lionel Loueke), we move from free jazz to progressive rock. This is followed by ‘Physical Attraction’, whose groove looks towards Jamaica, then ‘Better Days’, where classical and folk meet, and finally the very pop ‘Bremain Suite’, which borrows the themes of its musical digressions from Queen, Portishead and the Beatles.
Once again, ACT treats us to an album that is perfectly produced in terms of both sound recording and mastering. The great clarity is accompanied by a softness that avoids any coldness or over-definition and pays perfect homage to the acoustic instruments. Unlike many accordionists’ albums, the accordion, although very present, does not overwhelm the other musicians. What we hear is a quintet, with each member playing a part in the compositions and the sound colour of the album. Here, the drums are mellow yet percussive, and the saxophone avoids any excessive brilliance, always maintaining a warm sound.
Artist: L’Antidote Album: L’Antidote Label: Ponderosa Music Records Link: https://lantidote.eu/ Style: Contemporary Jazz
A student in Tirana and then in Italy, Albanian cellist Redi Hasa offers a style ranging from traditional Albanian and Italian music to modern jazz. Influenced by the traditional music inherited from his family, Lebanese pianist Rami Khalifé trained classically and has been involved in contemporary projects close to electronic music. As for Iranian percussionist Bijan Chemirani, he comes from a long line of musicians and has mastered his country’s traditional repertoire, although he is mainly involved in numerous international projects.
Abandoned in 2020 due to the pandemic, the L’Antidote project developed naturally in the following years and stems from a genuine encounter, a place full of gentleness where listening and sharing reign supreme. Each musician brings their artistic background to a joint creation. The structure of the compositions is strongly marked by improvisation and inspiration, while being dominated by contemporary jazz, exuding a Mediterranean heritage that is particularly present on the track ‘Rosée’. The melodic lines take their time to develop and the timbres of the instruments to blend together, with only the tracks ‘Dates, Figs And Nuts’ and “Na Na Na ” take on a livelier rhythm.
An acoustic universe, L’Antidote is adorned with a sound marked by clarity and definition. Fortunately, this highlighting of the instruments is not accompanied by any coldness. The soft vibration of the notes and the particular grain of the percussion, while restrained, are a flavor to be savored when listening to the album. Struck and bowed strings are perfectly differentiated and evolve in the same movement, each musical line complementing the other naturally. The track ‘Desert Plant’ immerses us in a sonic invitation to contemplation, where we are carried away by this enchanting flow.
Artiste : Majid Bekkas, Nguyên Lê, Hamid Drake Album : Jazz At Berlin Philharmonic XVII : Gnawa World Blues Label : ACT Music Lien : https://actmusic.com/en/jazz-at-berlin-philharmonic-xvii-gnawa-world-blues/ACT-8007 Style : Musique du Monde, Jazz Contemporain, Blues
With its world-renowned acoustics and distinctive architecture, the Berlin Philharmonic regularly opens its doors to jazz artists. The equally renowned ACT label has been echoing this since 2014 with the Jazz At Berlin Philharmonic series. For this seventeenth volume, the recording is of an encounter full of cultural fusion. Moroccan multi-instrumentalist Majid Bekkas, a former classical guitar teacher, blends Gnaoui tradition with blues and jazz; Nguyên Lê is a French jazz musician of Vietnamese origin who mainly plays guitar and bass; Hamid Drake is an American drummer and percussionist specializing in jazz and improvised music.
The music played during the concert recorded by ACT is the perfect illustration of these influences, sailing between Africa and America, where the traditions of the Maghreb countries meet with hints of trance music, like a link between the blues and the sub-Saharan regions that becomes more evident on certain tracks. Particularly interesting are the reinterpretations of John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” on which the guitar takes on a slightly more catchy tone. The ensemble shines with its freshness and sense of freedom, in keeping with the modernity of the contemporary jazz artists present.
Each musician brings their own contribution and particularities to the collective work. However, Jazz At Berlin Philharmonic XVII: Gnawa World Blues does not sound like a juxtaposition of talents, but rather like an ensemble, a sharing and a common love of music, wherever it comes from. The choirs join Majid Bekkas’ voice on traditional songs, while the drums support and embellish the guitar when it takes on a bluesy tone. The timbres are always clear and each artist’s playing blends perfectly with that of the others. The distribution of the musicians on the sound stage is beautifully precise and enhances these connections.
Artist: Dominique Fils-Aimé Album: Live At The Montreal International Jazz Festival Label: Ensoul Records Link: domiofficial.com/fr Style: Jazz, Soul, Funk
Quebec singer Dominique Fils-Aimé grew up in a family where music was very present, listening to soul and jazz classics and training in classical piano and singing. She was part of several bands before releasing an EP and participating in the TV show “La Voix.” She then participated in numerous festivals and her releases were noticed, cited by the press and in award selections, including the JUNOS and the Félix, which she won. Each of the albums in her first trilogy explores a style of African-American music such as jazz or blues, and her latest studio album, Our Roots Run Deep, delighted our turntables.
No stranger to concerts and captivating stage presence, the singer has finally released her first live album. Inspired by Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, she masterfully blends genres without resorting to intellectual pretension. This concert feels more substantial and expansive than her studio albums, giving her compositions a more direct and physical impact. The gospel and soul influences are still present, but funk takes on a more prominent role, without being too intrusive, as the artist knows how to draw us into this moment of sharing without a single moment of boredom.
Her firm and composed voice is totally mastered, but she knows how to be playful at times to introduce a touch of fantasy. Like the singer, the accompaniment defies categorization, offering a wide range of acoustic and electric instruments. The quality of the sound recording is equally impressive, highlighting the energy of the electric bass and the subtlety of the brushes on the cymbals. The strong bond between the musicians is often palpable, and the feel of the venue contrasts with listening to an album recorded in a studio. As with any live performance, this is particularly noticeable and appreciable during audience participation, which immerses us in the concert with the artist.
