Following their latest release Abrazo in 2020, the unique European jazz duo Peirani & Parisien returned to the EFG London Jazz Festival, with an exclusive performance filmed in Paris.
I didn't know what to expect, sometimes European musicians stretch the boundaries a tad too far for my puritanical tastes. However, whilst this duo certainly were different they were also quite delightful. Even in their most frantic moments they retained a certain Gallic charm that came to the fore in the gentler sections. At times you were on the Champs-Élysées during the rush hour. At other times you were having a romantic stroll along the banks of the Seine.
The combination of soprano sax and button-key accordion is in itself an almost uniquely French sound not normally thought of in a jazz setting but, in the hands of these deux hommes, it certainly was.
Peirani gets a great sound on soprano and, for some reason, the button key accordion doesn't grate on me the way keyed versions sometimes do. Peirani in full flight is a sight to behold! Ducking and diving, high kicking and yet still swinging. The appropriately named Parisien just sits back and lets his fingers do the walking. Vamping behind the sax, taking off on his own and - this is the best bit - the unison passages played by the duo at tempo rapide.
One of those sessions where you go in fearing the worst and leave after hearing the best!
Lance
No comments :
Post a Comment