Search - Jean Bardy, Fresu, Lande :: Few Notes

A gem

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 06/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jean Bardy, a French acoustic bassist, has produced a lovely and very listenable album that skirts the edges of contemplative jazz, world music, and the sort of thing Paul McCandless might do if he had a more purely jazz concept.The core trio of Bardy, Art Lande (piano), and Joel Allouche (drums) lays down a very attractive, delicately conceived soundscape, perfect for guests Nguyen Le (guitar), Paolo Fresu (trumpet), and Eric Daniel (guitar), who take the basic conception and expand it brilliantly. Le especially sounds very convincing, but everyone plays beautifully.Lande is absolutely perfect in this setting. His trademark playing behind the beat, strategically placed single note runs, and deft chord voicings give the music subtle coloration and cohesion. Indeed, I was surprised to hear Lande play with so much rhythmic drive. He really shines on the three trio selections, making one wish he had a larger discography. Allouche, a drummer very much underrecorded on this side of the Atlantic, always finds the exact right groove and plays with plenty of color himself. Bardy proves equally adept at plucked and arco bass. He has a classic deep, woody tone, somewhat reminescent of Charlie Haden, though without his idiosyncratic sense of time and note placement.My favorite cuts are the two featuring Le on guitar and guitar synthesizer, but there really isn't a weak number in the bunch. One of these days, I'll probably get around to reviewing some of his sessions as leader. Fresu also plays some very tasty trumpet, both open and muted.All in all, a very fine outing, certainly worth picking up if you have any affinity for this kind of music."