Some of the most attractive aspects of jazz occurs during intimate conversations between musicians. Here are two noteworthy examples.
Pianist Laurent Coq meets up with Ralph Lavital/g and Nicolas Pelage/voc (on 5 tracks) for 11 originals to be interpreted and shared among equals. There is a cheerful freshness in the genteel instrumentals such as “Carrousel” and reflective “Souvenirs Ti Manmay” that exudes lightness and warmth. Pelage’s vocals on the “Mwen Two Kontan” is buoyant, while wordless sounds on “Mazouk Pitche” is fragrant and percussive. Coq’s Schubertian musings come out on the conversational title t r ack, while Lavital’s elastic strings are elegiac on “Refuge.” A juicy bon bon!
Voicings of acoustic guitar (Liberty Ellman), electric guitar (Jamie Fox) and acoustic bass (Stephan Crump) provide for a quiet display of subdued conversation. Crump opens many of the tunes with a thoughtful solo, as on “Ending” while the guitars take turns strumming support for the other to take the lead in the pack. Space is the place on material such as “Still Stolid” while mannered finger work on “Whiteout” and the “Thrump” is well constructed and manifested. Musings while being amusing, the trio is subtle without being subversive.
Sunnyside Records