Emile Parisien Quartet: Emile Parisien (soprano saxophone), Julien Tourey (piano), Ivan Gelugne (double bass) & Sylvain Darrifourcq (drums)
French National Jazz Award winners the Emile Parisien Quartet arrived on Tyneside on General Election day. On the Town Hall stage Returning Officer Monsieur Bream, clad in hooped black and white t-shirt and beret with glass of claret in hand, introduced the candidates to an attentive audience.
Would they win our vote?
The quartet opted for a gentle opening number with a repeated motif from Parisien's soprano sax. Pianist Julien Tourey got under the lid of the Yamama to pluck, then hammer, then conjour, fleetingly, Satie. Bassist Ivan Gelugne produced a warm sound and on several occasions bowed effectively. Sylvain Darrifourcq, a la batterie (doesn' t it sound so much better than 'drums'?), proved to be yet another first class player, clattering and banging with in-built swing time - great stuff.
Tunes were played without pause, first and second set. The band's CD/DVD sales went off the scale - all were sold at the interval. At the end of the night there was rapturous applause winning an encore for which the leader literally sat out (sitting on the floor of the stage) content to let his comrades take the honours. The very last note was quite brilliant with pianist Tourney sustaining the sound for what seemed to be an eternity.
Tres bon!
Votes cast, counted, the Emile Parisien Quartet won by a landslide. 'Vive la France!', 'Vive le Jazz!'
Russell 
Sounds magnifique Russell - pity I missed it but decided to support ACV in Hexham - a sparse turnout unfortunately. Did you get a CD? would love to hear them or maybe chase their tour de force up or down les champs! Bon Fauteuil! Geo M
ReplyDeleteHi George
ReplyDeleteAll CDs flew out the door. I'll get one next time.
Russell