Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 2026)

The Things They Say!

This is a good opportunity to say thanks to BSH for their support of the jazz scene in the North East (and beyond) - it's no exaggeration to say that if it wasn't for them many, many fine musicians, bands and projects across a huge cross section of jazz wouldn't be getting reviewed at all, because we're in the "desolate"(!) North. (M & SSBB on F/book 23/12/24)

Postage

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

Monday, September 26, 2011

CD Review: Pierrick Pédron - Cheerleaders

Pierriik Pédron / alto saxophone
Chris De Pauw / guitar
Laurent Coq / piano, keyboards
Vincent Artaud / bass
Franck Agulhon &; Fabrice Moreau / drums plus others

Pédron is an excellent alto player immersed, but not rooted, in Bird and Cannonball. However, on the strength of this unusual album, it may be as a conceptual artist that he will make his mark.
Cheerleaders is described as 'an opulent suite' that draws upon many different aspects of diverse genre.
You want Stravinsky, Pink Floyd? You got 'em. Fancy a French brass band? You got one too!
In fact one of the lasting memories of this disc are the 'oompah' sections that permeate the jazz, the neo-classical and the heavy metal that the Frenchman has skilfully woven into a fascinating tapestry of sound. Anyone who saw the film An American in Paris and remembers the ballet sequence will equate with this.
At times I'm reminded of some of the early Mike Westbrook albums - it has that same sound of surprise. Haden's Liberation Orchestra also comes to mind.
Pedron tells a story as he crafts a suite of nine sequential pieces recounting one night in the life of this woman - The Cheerleader. Nightmares, fantasies and memories, they are dreamy, they are violent, they are tender. 
Create your own images from the music is the invitation the composer extends to the listener - my imagination is already running wild!
A near masterpiece.
Lance.
Patrick Pédron - Cheerleaders. ACT 9511-2. Released October 3.

1 comment :

Anonymous said...

yes veri good

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