Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Sylvain Luc: Joko

260

Sylvain Luc: Joko

By

Sign in to view read count
Sylvain Luc: Joko
Try not to listen to this album. I bet you won't be able to do it. With rich servings of fusion, swing, harmony, captivating guitar fills, and rhythm Joko, the new album from Sylvain Luc, is a gallimaufry of impressive musical feats.

What are those feats? Luc manages to put his finger on the pulse of so many disparate musical themes and ideas and draw them all under a record title that, appropriately, bears his name.

The album's percussion and rhythm gives the listener the feeling of being at performance of the show "Stomp" peppered with fusions of diverse influences, ranging from swing to hip hop, funk, and rock.

Luc's guitar work draws on a seemingly infinite set of influences. I was particularly struck by what seemed like a similarity to Pat Metheny, Johnny Smith, Baden Powell, Liberty Ellman, James Taylor, Pat Martino, Jacob Young, and the Delta Blues. Jacky Terrasson's piano playing is sharp, exciting, and tiptoeingly appropriate in the same way as Brad Mehldau's.

The record is fraught with sparse unpredictability, evincing the sensation of traveling a road that's being built as you're traveling it. It is a gulp of modern day drum and fife in the presence of royalty. All while taking the listener into the pages of the Arabian Nights, surrounded by the hissing of asps. Luc's soloing is like the oration of an enraptured soapbox preacher and his melodies can be lamenting almsmen crouched humbly in the shadows of an archway.

And perhaps this melody is what makes the album most listenable; in spite of all the distinct influences, the album is conjoined by Luc's resonating melodic, compositional voice. His ability to bring sensible melody to anything he touches is quite reminiscent of some of the most revered jazz stars of the last thirty years. And there is no doubt that Luc deserves his place among them as an innovator, freethinker, and original voice. His predilection for smelting what might otherwise be banalities into an intriguing and exciting product is undeniably rare and undeniably irresistible.

The ending of the record is especially captivating and delightful, but don't expect me to give it away. Go hear it for yourself.

Track Listing

Light My Fire; This Never Happened Before; Fil Bleu; Gangui; Terre Inconnue; Steppin' Out; Introguito; Fandanguito; Coral; Machination Secrete; Joko; Mean Old Man; Accalmies; Folk Print; Le Roi Dans Les Bois.

Personnel

Sylvain Luc
guitar

Sylvain Luc: guitars, bass, glissentar; Pascal Rey: drums, percussion; Michel Portal: clarinets; Eric Longsworth: cello; Olivier Ker Ourio: harmonica; Jacky Terrasson: piano; Keyvan Chemirani and Bijan Chemirani: daf, zarb, bendir, udu.

Album information

Title: Joko | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Dreyfus Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.