In the days of swing, bop, hard bop and fusion, big macho sounds were emitted from the tenor sax, with the lithe legato of Lester Young being the anti-matter. Now-adays, even Pres would sound extroverted, as these three albums produce soft reed sounds that are almost effectual as they are anything swinging.
Andy Shephard brings together a spacious team of Eivind Aarset/g, Michel Benita/b and Sebastian Rochford to create grey and white sonic images. His soprano is featured on a couple of pieces, piercing light a train light in a fog as Rochford’s cymbal drives it along on “They Came From the North” and “Thirteen.” His tenor is misty, gasping through the trudging “And A Day” and icy like Northern Lights as the team bops on “Pop” with Shepherd sighing subtones over grey skies on “Forever” and earnestly crying as the team cadences on “All Becomes Again.” Night shades.
Shinya Fukumori plays drums behind Walter Lang/p and Matthieu Bordenave/ts on this collection of eleven originals. Fukumori uses cymbals to create spacious moods as Bordenave produces gentle long tones on “Silent Chaos,” and goes from ambient sparkles to a rapid ride cymbal on”The Light Suite (Medley) as the tenor gradual undulates like a latent volcano. The leader’s sticks work creatively as Bordenave yearns for “Spectacular” with the team building up to an embracing dramatic cimax fo “Ai San San.” Water colors of sound.
Nicolas Masson plays tenor sax, soprano sax and clarinet on a quartet get together with Colin Vallon/p, Lionel Friedli/dr and Patrice Moret/b. His soprano hovers like a mist over the cymbals and graceful ivories for “Gagarine” with rich spacing on a breathy tenor read of “Fuschia.” Dainty piano musings make for a rice pilaf for Masson’s soprano on “Travelers” with percussive bass, rustling and ruminating drums scurrying around the lower register clarinet of “Almost Forty.” The tenorist gasps for breath on “Jura” and bounces on the cascading “Philae.” Dreams and early morning visions.
ECM Records