MATTHIEU BORDENAVE - La traversée
ECM 088 2928
Matthieu Bordenave (tenor saxophone); Patrice Moret (double bass); Florian Weber (piano)
Recorded October 2019
Drawing his inspiration from the work of the Jimmy Giuffre 3 with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow, tenor saxophonist Matthieu Bordenave has delivered a superb set that not only casts a backwards glance, but also points the way forward. Making his ECM debut in 2018 with the Shinya Fukumori Trio's exceptional For 2 Akis album, Bordenave carved out a niche for himself within the often delicate music of the bassless trio, spinning out lines of an intricate and intimate nature that immediately indicated a mature and distinctive approach to small group improvising. With his leadership debut for the label, he has now taken his concept a step further, showing his ability as a composer and conceptualiser in bringing the music together in a most thought provoking manner.
Staying with the trio format, this time utilising double bass and eschewing drums, Bordenave creates a stately chamber jazz that provides scope for lyrical and sustained three way conversations that benefit from the written arrangements yet not being hampered by them. He writes enough to give each composition focus and direction with enough space for all three musicians to improvise and communicate openly with each other.
Perversely then, the album opens with 'River' a duet for saxophone and piano that is somewhat austere in nature, that flows at an unhurried languid pace, yet sparkles delicately like light reflecting off water droplets with Florian Weber's exquisite touch at the piano. This piece is also reprised at the end of the album as a version for the trio in an interestingly different reading. The austere nature of the music can sometimes obscure the beauty within, and it will therefore come as no surprise that the album takes time and patience to reveal all its hidden depths. This is especially true of 'Archipel' where the trio take a small fragment of written material, and then allow the musicians to follow a freer path in developing the piece further. For this listener, the austerity of the music was alleviated by 'The Path', and the lovely lyrical sway of 'Ventoux' which features a superb solo by bassist, Patrice Moret, that becomes more of an integral part of the composition than a solo per se. Special mention should also once again be made in reference to Weber's sublime commentary on this wonderful piece.
Of the leader himself, Bordenave plays with a quiet intensity that belies an inherent lyricism. He has a deliciously pure tone in the upper register and a sonic consistency right down to the bell notes and uses this contrast of registers sparingly but to devastating effect leaving the listener hanging on every note. If his playing on the Shinya Fukumori Trio recording was giving notice of an important new voice then La traversée confirms that Bordenave has not only looked to develop his already formidable technique and personal sound, but has also found the context in which to best present it.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
ECM 088 2928
Matthieu Bordenave (tenor saxophone); Patrice Moret (double bass); Florian Weber (piano)
Recorded October 2019
Drawing his inspiration from the work of the Jimmy Giuffre 3 with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow, tenor saxophonist Matthieu Bordenave has delivered a superb set that not only casts a backwards glance, but also points the way forward. Making his ECM debut in 2018 with the Shinya Fukumori Trio's exceptional For 2 Akis album, Bordenave carved out a niche for himself within the often delicate music of the bassless trio, spinning out lines of an intricate and intimate nature that immediately indicated a mature and distinctive approach to small group improvising. With his leadership debut for the label, he has now taken his concept a step further, showing his ability as a composer and conceptualiser in bringing the music together in a most thought provoking manner.
Staying with the trio format, this time utilising double bass and eschewing drums, Bordenave creates a stately chamber jazz that provides scope for lyrical and sustained three way conversations that benefit from the written arrangements yet not being hampered by them. He writes enough to give each composition focus and direction with enough space for all three musicians to improvise and communicate openly with each other.
Perversely then, the album opens with 'River' a duet for saxophone and piano that is somewhat austere in nature, that flows at an unhurried languid pace, yet sparkles delicately like light reflecting off water droplets with Florian Weber's exquisite touch at the piano. This piece is also reprised at the end of the album as a version for the trio in an interestingly different reading. The austere nature of the music can sometimes obscure the beauty within, and it will therefore come as no surprise that the album takes time and patience to reveal all its hidden depths. This is especially true of 'Archipel' where the trio take a small fragment of written material, and then allow the musicians to follow a freer path in developing the piece further. For this listener, the austerity of the music was alleviated by 'The Path', and the lovely lyrical sway of 'Ventoux' which features a superb solo by bassist, Patrice Moret, that becomes more of an integral part of the composition than a solo per se. Special mention should also once again be made in reference to Weber's sublime commentary on this wonderful piece.
Of the leader himself, Bordenave plays with a quiet intensity that belies an inherent lyricism. He has a deliciously pure tone in the upper register and a sonic consistency right down to the bell notes and uses this contrast of registers sparingly but to devastating effect leaving the listener hanging on every note. If his playing on the Shinya Fukumori Trio recording was giving notice of an important new voice then La traversée confirms that Bordenave has not only looked to develop his already formidable technique and personal sound, but has also found the context in which to best present it.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
