Joachim Caffonnette (piano); Alex Gilson (bass);
Jean-Baptiste Pinet (drums)
(Review by Lance)
Sadly,
non-jazz pressures caused me to delay my review of this very enjoyable album by
Belgium pianist Caffonnette and his two French confrères. Doubly sad as it
meant not being able to draw attention to their recent UK tour which, although
it bypassed Newcastle, given the number of mainland Europe bands that do turn up on Tyneside, was something of
a surprise. However, the tour did include
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Luton, Hove and, of course, London
at no less a place than Kansas Smitty’s.
So,
if you live within a close radius of the above towns and cities then you will
probably have caught the gig and bought the CD already. If you didn’t make it - maybe you caught one of those bugs that always seem to be going around - then
this is the chance to find out what you missed.
The
fact that they played at Smitty’s tells you it isn’t going to be exit jazz (way
out) although, by the same token, it is far from being dated.
Caffonnette
has a gentle touch, reflective, searching. Bill Evans meets Debussy and
Thelonious Monk. Monk’s Dream – one
of three non-originals – shows that this pianist can swing with his own
voicings building upon Monk’s foundation. Great number – great rendition.
Another
surprise is Hey Jude which, like so
many Beatles’ tunes, proves to be receptive to instrumental interpretations
and, in many cases, better without the sometimes mystic and meaningless words!
Caff’s
originals are captivating, delving into the harmonic possibilities which
he knows are there – well he should do as he composed them! They all have deep
meaning and relate to events the composer found inspiration from. Too complex to
relate here but the album notes add to our understanding of the music.
Bass
and drums do the necessary and have their moments to shine which they take at
the cusp. However, this isn’t the Lord of the Manor throwing crumbs to his
hirelings, it’s an integrated unit where each man’s contribution is neither
less nor more than that of the others and, as such, it works beautifully.
Lance.
Perspectives;
Inner Necessity; Tripoli’s Sorrow; Hey Jude; Vers L’Azur Noir; Sugar Man; A
Mawda; Monk’s Dream; Jax and Reddy.
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