CD Review: Colin Vallon Trio - Le Vent

Colin Vallon – piano   Patrice Moret – bass  Julian Sartorus – drums.

(Review by Steve H.)

This is the Swiss trio’s second ECM album. It’s a very modern European offering revolving not around virtuoso solos but a collaboration of like minded musicians who have produced a piece of work which may not have you jumping around on the kitchen table with excitement but instead will provide a stimulating relaxing and peaceful experience.  This is definitely more Swiss Roll than rock and roll but sometimes it’s nice to have your cake and eat  it.

All the tracks are written by Vallon apart from the opening number Juuichi written by bassist Moret and the final two numbers Styx and Coriolis written by the entire trio. The album starts at an almost funereal pace before building to a more up-tempo passage and then subsides softly and gently away. In fact this style seems to set the tone for most of the tunes. The listener is drawn slowly into each track as the whole ensemble builds  each tune up layer by  layer.  Some tracks are livelier than others, Immobile, for example, has a very powerful rousing central passage whereas my own particular favourite Goodbye is a beautiful slow ballad.  The title track, Le Vent (The Wind), evokes its name as one imagines gusts of wind gathering pace and then gently subsiding. The final two tracks Styx and Coriollis minimalize the mininimalist approach even further with single piano notes and soft percussion punctuating a bowed bass background. All in all an enjoyable album well worth a listen.

Colin Vallon Trio - Le Vent is now available on ECM Records.

Steve H.