Believe it or not, there are trios besides piano, bass and drums. Don’t believe me? Wait until you hear…
J-Luc “Oboman” Fillon plays the oboe, the oboe d’amore, and the cor anglais, which means he must be ready for brain surgery by playing so many difficult double reed instruments without having any cerebral hemmorages. Playing a single reed like a clarinet or sax is tough enough, but to prevent squawking on a double reed on climaxes of dynamics takes discipline beyond measure. Fillon here teams up with Joao Paulo/p and Frederic Eymard/viola for thoughtful, lyrical and gentle readings from the Cole Porter songbook. There is a fragrant flow to subtle swing pieces like “Just One of Those Things” while a classical sense of jamming oozes on material like “Let’s Do It.” The melding and contrast of strings and reeds works best on dainty pieces like the rich “Easy to Love” and the dreamy “Im So In Love” whyle Eymard knows how to create a groove on “Anything Goes.” Polite and uptown.
Trumpeter/composer Eric Vloeimans creates a team with Tuur Florizoone/acc and Jorg Brinkmann/cello to create songs and moods that give hints of and homage to movie soundtracks. “Vloeimans’ horn is almost always restrained, subdued and hushed here, almost emulating a flute-like presence on material like “Slow Tngo” and “Imagining.” Brinkmann uses his cello for percussion, as on “Prince Henri,” a creator of pizzicato rhythm during “ L’Amour des Moules” or can bow like modern classical as he coalesces with Florizoone’s accordion on “Cinema Paradiso.” The trio is able to flow like an evening breeze through linen drapes as on “Les Vapes,” with the accordion used for both creating mood and melody. Thoughtful and thought provoking. One of a kind that hopefully will be tried again.
Soupir Records
Challenge Records International