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Rachel Therrien: Vena
ByYou quickly hear the beauty of Therrien's playing: there's no need to nerdily testify which horn she's playing on any given solo (even if you could spot the difference). Just gasp and when she's done soaring or imploring, move on to the next tune. There's something waiting for you there too, because her European Quartet of pianist Daniel Gassin, drummer Mareike Wiening and cameo saxophonist Irving Acao make it so.
Dances that are equal parts hypnotic gambol and anxious interplay (played with Cuban resonances) are the highlights of Vena. Among them the driving pull of "Assata" and the lush and expansive solo on "V for Vena." "Pigalle" is a kick-in-time turn with bassist Guiebert. "Women" is a duet of wit with Wiening. "Emilio" is a lovely ballad.
As the title track dissolves into the glistening, dream-bop of "Parity," Therrien displays an unerring knack for restraint and for players who put their soul into the music. Any of the fifteen shape-shift-on-a-whim compositions could have become something else and gone another way. But they didn't. And that's why Vena is what it is: a disc you should be listening to.
Track Listing
Folks Jam; V for Vena; Parity; Pigalle; 75 Pages of Happiness; Assata; Bilka's Story; Emilio; Women; Synchronicity; This Isn't Love; Bleu Tortue; Migration; Folk Tube.
Personnel
Rachel Therrien
trumpetDaniel Gassin
pianoDario Guibert
bassMareike Wiening
drumsIrving Acao
saxophoneAdditional Instrumentation
Irving Acao: saxophone (7, 11).
Album information
Title: Vena | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Bon SaiMusic
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About Rachel Therrien
Instrument: Trumpet
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