Record Reviews

HENRI TEXIER ~ THE SCENE IS CLEAN LABEL BLEU 6540 (Barcode: 3149025047502) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz Recorded: 1991 Released: 1991 This is an album by the great French Jazz bassist / composer / bandleader Henri TexierFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic Jazz piano trio setting with pianist Alain Jean-MarieFind albums by this artist and drummer Aldo RomanoFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, all of which are American Jazz standards. Texier was highly active on the local scene and is one of the Godfathers of the modern Jazz scene in France. His extensive recording legacy, most of it for the excellent Label BleuFind albums on this label label, owned by Michel OrierFind albums by this artist, is a great source of wonderful European Jazz since the 1970s. The trio treatment of the standards is a wonderful example of the European elegance and finesse, where every note is exactly at the right place and at the right volume, everything floating is a perfect balance of melody, rhythm and harmony. For Jazz piano trio lovers this album is simply a revelation. Overall, this is a brilliant trip down the memory lane, going back some thirty-five years back, to the time when the French jazz scene was at its full bloom. These three musicians were at the peak of their careers and the music was swinging like never before, giving these Bebop standards a new kick of life. If you can your hands on a copy, don’t hesitate!

Updated: 12/07/2025Posted: 12/07/2025

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

MICHEL PORTAL ~ ANY WAY LABEL BLEU 6544 (Barcode: 3149025057877) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1991 - 1992 Released: 1993 This is an album by legendary French bass clarinetist / saxophonist / composer / bandleader Michel PortalFind albums by this artist, recorded with a large gathering of international Jazz musicians, which includes French violinist Didier LockwoodFind albums by this artist, bassist Jean-Francois Jenny-ClarkFind albums by this artist, percussionist Mino CineluFind albums by this artist and guitarist Nguyen LeFind albums by this artist, British trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, American keyboardist Gil GoldsteinFind albums by this artist and bassist Victor BaileyFind albums by this artist, Indian percussionist Trilok GurtuFind albums by this artist, Swiss drummer Daniel HumairFind albums by this artist and others. The album presents six lengthy tracks, five of which are original compositions by Portal and one is by Cinelu. The music is based on beautiful composed themes, on which the participants improvise with obvious skill and imagination. There are strong World Music influences and excellent group improvisations. The leader plays mostly the bass clarinet, and his fame as one of the greatest virtuosi of that instrument is of course fully justified. The solo by Wheeler on the last racks is alone worth having this album in one’s collection. There is an atmosphere of mutual respect and great fun, and the musicians are obviously jamming and enjoying themselves, which is felt in the resulting music, mixing the Jazz elements with Funk and Ethnic drumming, which is very effective. Overall, this is a very unusual album, which creates an amalgam of European Jazz and Ethnic / World percussive elements, and offers some extraordinary improvised parts by some of the best musicians on this planet. A true joy!

Updated: 04/02/2025Posted: 04/02/2025

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

JOACHIM KUHN / DANIEL HUMAIR / JEAN-FRANCOIS JENNY-CLARK ~ USUAL CONFUSION LABEL BLEU 6560 (Barcode: 3149025061249) ~ GERMANY ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1993 Released: 1993 This is an album by the brilliant European Jazz trio comprising of German pianist / composer Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist, Swiss drummer / composer Daniel HumairFind albums by this artist and French bassist / composer Jean-Francois Jenny-ClarkFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks, four composed by Kuhn, one composed by Humair, one a standard and finally one by American saxophonist / composer Jerry BergonziFind albums by this artist. The music is absolutely stunning, from start to end and this is definitely one the finest European piano trios in all time. All three players are virtuosi and with decades of experience behind them, they are flying high in the stratosphere of Jazz improvisation, with every note perfectly in the right place and astonishing level of interplay between them. Despite the fact that the music is often intensely improvised, and Kuhn’s arpeggios chase each other head after tail, the result is remarkably melodic and often even serene, which is quite unusual for Kuhn’s recordings. Jenny-Clark and Humair are a perfect, impeccable rhythm section, able to stay within the harmonious flow and tempi, when needed, and support Free improvisation with the same ease and elegance, and listening to the trio is a constant gratification of the highest class. Listening to this album is a true schoolbook example of the perfect balance between melody and improvisation in Jazz, which astoundingly enables this music to be enjoyed in full both by Free Jazz lovers and relatively conventional mainstream Jazz listeners, which perhaps proves that beauty conquers all. This is one of my favorite Joachim Kuhn albums and European piano trio albums. Overall, this is a perfect example of European Jazz, which transforms classic the piano trio platform into a Freely Improvised environment, staying close enough for comfort for mainstream Jazz lovers – a truly brilliant Artistic achievement and a must in any serious Jazz collection.

Updated: 15/04/2025Posted: 15/04/2025

CD 1 Essential Recommend To A Friend