ANTOINE PIERRE - Urbex
Igloo IGL268
Antoine Pierre: drums; Bert Cools: guitar; Bram de Looze: piano; Steven Delannoye: clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax; Jean-Paul Estiévenart: flugelhorn, trumpet; Fréderic Malempré: percussion; Toine Thys: clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax; Félix Zurstrassen: electric and double bass.
The title of this CD is a contraction of ‘urban exploration’ and the pieces are (according to the press release) inspired by the aesthetics of abandoned buildings. Having said this, the pieces seem to divide into those with trees in their title, those with urban associations and two pieces dedicated to ‘Moon’ (Antoine’s partner). The titles of the pieces range from ‘Coffin for a Sequoia’ to ‘Metropolitan Avenue’ and, from the titles, one can imagine a thematic development of nature being overtaken by buildings and then those same buildings being reclaimed by nature. The sleeve notes describe the intent of the CD, in words that feel like a description of a dream: “Je traverse la cour qui entoure ce batiment” (helpfully, the sleeve notes offer an English translation as, ‘ I am walking across the yard towards that building’). This description culminates in “j’admire l’esthétique d’une lente destruction” (‘I admire the aesthetic of slow destruction’). From this, I had anticipated pieces which worked on themes with gradual changes, perhaps in a sort of minimalist shifting of tonal centre or subtle changing in harmony or rhythm. This is not quite what happens. For example, the first two pieces begin with interesting rhythmic patterns but simple melodies. It feels as if the drummer in Antoine has set up the rhythm and the composer in him is simply following this. As the pieces develop, the harmony changes to such an extent that the initial theme disappears. At first I thought that this arose from the improvisatory nature of the other players but on further listening there is a sense in which these breaks are also composed. While there are pieces which find resolution, others feel a little adrift and the breaks take the players further from the initial melodies. The title piece, track 5 ‘Urbex’, begins with strummed bass and fractured drum patterns, before moving in a set of breaks for trumpet, sax, piano, bass, and a final sax break, with the drums propelling the piece. As a drummer, Antoine can play in the background but seems happiest working a small kit, as is the current fashion, busily around his players, like a sheepdog herding a flock between pens. At times this busy playing can feel like a naughty kid bashing pans in the kitchen while people are talking quietly in another room; it would have been even interesting if more of this mischievousness had found its way into his composing. Certainly the playing on ‘Metropolitan Avenue’ (track 6) hints at this. There is a ‘reprise’ of this piece (track 9), with the bass and drum pattern hitting a strong groove and then the piece stopping at 2 minutes because someone coughed or laughed; I wasn’t sure what the role of this ‘out-take’ was on this CD but it felt as if its inclusion confirmed my feelings that the focus of the pieces hadn’t been fully resolved.
For me, these pieces feel as if there is a continual tension in the music between a controlled, measured development of simple harmonies, and processes which are independent of these. In these cases, the effect is of musical ideas being pitched, played with and then discarded. I’m not sure whether this is a deliberate device in composition (and it happens often enough for me to think that it this is the case) but it does sometimes create an odd lack of transition within some of the pieces. The result is that, at times the pieces work really effectively and one gets a strong sense of Antoine’s ambition in developing an ‘aesthetic of slow destruction’, but, at other times, this ambition feels slightly lost. Having said that, the players are all very impressive, with Cools’ guitar playing being particularly evocative and the swapping between Delannoye and Thys on saxes offering a graceful and delicate pas de deux.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Igloo IGL268
Antoine Pierre: drums; Bert Cools: guitar; Bram de Looze: piano; Steven Delannoye: clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax; Jean-Paul Estiévenart: flugelhorn, trumpet; Fréderic Malempré: percussion; Toine Thys: clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax; Félix Zurstrassen: electric and double bass.
The title of this CD is a contraction of ‘urban exploration’ and the pieces are (according to the press release) inspired by the aesthetics of abandoned buildings. Having said this, the pieces seem to divide into those with trees in their title, those with urban associations and two pieces dedicated to ‘Moon’ (Antoine’s partner). The titles of the pieces range from ‘Coffin for a Sequoia’ to ‘Metropolitan Avenue’ and, from the titles, one can imagine a thematic development of nature being overtaken by buildings and then those same buildings being reclaimed by nature. The sleeve notes describe the intent of the CD, in words that feel like a description of a dream: “Je traverse la cour qui entoure ce batiment” (helpfully, the sleeve notes offer an English translation as, ‘ I am walking across the yard towards that building’). This description culminates in “j’admire l’esthétique d’une lente destruction” (‘I admire the aesthetic of slow destruction’). From this, I had anticipated pieces which worked on themes with gradual changes, perhaps in a sort of minimalist shifting of tonal centre or subtle changing in harmony or rhythm. This is not quite what happens. For example, the first two pieces begin with interesting rhythmic patterns but simple melodies. It feels as if the drummer in Antoine has set up the rhythm and the composer in him is simply following this. As the pieces develop, the harmony changes to such an extent that the initial theme disappears. At first I thought that this arose from the improvisatory nature of the other players but on further listening there is a sense in which these breaks are also composed. While there are pieces which find resolution, others feel a little adrift and the breaks take the players further from the initial melodies. The title piece, track 5 ‘Urbex’, begins with strummed bass and fractured drum patterns, before moving in a set of breaks for trumpet, sax, piano, bass, and a final sax break, with the drums propelling the piece. As a drummer, Antoine can play in the background but seems happiest working a small kit, as is the current fashion, busily around his players, like a sheepdog herding a flock between pens. At times this busy playing can feel like a naughty kid bashing pans in the kitchen while people are talking quietly in another room; it would have been even interesting if more of this mischievousness had found its way into his composing. Certainly the playing on ‘Metropolitan Avenue’ (track 6) hints at this. There is a ‘reprise’ of this piece (track 9), with the bass and drum pattern hitting a strong groove and then the piece stopping at 2 minutes because someone coughed or laughed; I wasn’t sure what the role of this ‘out-take’ was on this CD but it felt as if its inclusion confirmed my feelings that the focus of the pieces hadn’t been fully resolved.
For me, these pieces feel as if there is a continual tension in the music between a controlled, measured development of simple harmonies, and processes which are independent of these. In these cases, the effect is of musical ideas being pitched, played with and then discarded. I’m not sure whether this is a deliberate device in composition (and it happens often enough for me to think that it this is the case) but it does sometimes create an odd lack of transition within some of the pieces. The result is that, at times the pieces work really effectively and one gets a strong sense of Antoine’s ambition in developing an ‘aesthetic of slow destruction’, but, at other times, this ambition feels slightly lost. Having said that, the players are all very impressive, with Cools’ guitar playing being particularly evocative and the swapping between Delannoye and Thys on saxes offering a graceful and delicate pas de deux.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
