Record Reviews

NICOLAS SIMION ~ JEU DES GARCONS 7DREAMS 107 (Barcode: 6421966000066) ~ ROMANIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1993 Released: 2009 This is a brilliant early album by Romanian saxophonist / composer Nicolas SimionFind albums by this artist, which was recorded during the time he lived in Vienna. As in the case of many other Jazz recordings, it was very much a spur of the moment decision to record this session taking advantage of the fact that the great American musicians taking part in this recording were in town and agreed to do it. As often under such circumstances, there was little, if any, time to rehearse and yet the willpower, talent, professionalism and mutual respect prevailed, resulting in some superb music to be captured for posterity. The album presents eight original compositions by Simion, recorded by a classic quartet, with pianist Michael CainFind albums by this artist, bassist Lonnie PlaxicoFind albums by this artist and drummer Peter PerfidoFind albums by this artist. Cain and Plaxico were at the time of the recording members of Jack DeJohnetteFind albums by this artist´s group Special EditionFind albums by this artist, which played in Vienna the night before the recording. Perfido, an American resident in Europe, played over the years with all the great European Jazz musicians and was one of Simion´s "regulars" on later dates. Not surprisingly, the performances are simply brilliant from start to finish. Simion displays a great technique and deep melodic lyricism, Cain is, as usual, flying all over the keys with his elegant touch and superb harmonic structures, Plaxico is a towed of strengths and incredible virtuoso and Perfido drives the quartet forward on the up-tempo numbers and gently keeps perfect time on the ballads. Even the sound quality is great, adding to the overall sublime listening experience. The music is predominantly relaxed and beautifully melodic, not losing its lyrical qualities even in the heat of improvisation. The ballads are romantic and deeply moving, with slight touches of folkloristic undertones, so typical of East European composers. Although modern, the music displays a lot of respect towards the Jazz tradition, using it as a basis for further explorations. In many respects it combines the best of the two worlds; European Jazz composition with American performance. Considering the fact that this is another recording from the 1990s, which is being released only now, so many years later, one must wonder how many such treasures Simion still hides in his Transylvanian castle? This music is too good to be hidden, so thanks Nicolas for enabling us to enjoy it and keep up the good work. Delightful stuff!

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