Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Joelle Leandre & Barre Phillips: A l'improviste

367

Joelle Leandre & Barre Phillips: A l'improviste

By

Sign in to view read count
Joelle Leandre & Barre Phillips: A l'improviste
Both Joelle Leandre and Barre Phillips are bass players who carry a wealth of experience around with them, and they bring it to bear so effectively on A l'improviste that the limitations in sonic and timbrel range implied by a program by such a duo is never an issue. Both musicians are similarly alert to the range of sound their instrument has to offer and both are abundantly equipped to exploit it.



One need hear no further than "Ebony Rising" for evidence of this, as the music is at one time alive, almost hyperactive, and at another the pervasive air is one of calm shot through with a skewed form of melancholy, as if each partner is deferring to the other in the matter of taking a decisive lead. The music evolves anyway, as is perhaps inevitable, and the result is compelling in its intimacy.



The following "Looking Atcha" is almost an exercise in marked contrast. High end sounds the like of which seem almost outside the instrument's range dance in a way outside any understood notion of hoofing, and the intimate listening of both players results in music alive with detail and resonance. Dexterous use of the bow has the effect of making the instrument sound anything but unwieldy.



"Aire We" is shot through with a very different kind of momentum. At times the music seems to be almost a denial of passing time, albeit without any minimal implications that might suggest. Again, both musicians are in thrall to the demands of the moment in the best possible way, even while they're each alert to the presence and contribution of the other. Notes seem to tumble out of both players as if every contribution, no matter how small, is worthy of immediate comment. Both hands and bows are employed to give the music an almost opaque feel, the thought processes behind it seeming to come to the fore.



The final "Radio Synapse" finds Leandre giving vent to her inimitable vocalizing. When Phillips joins in in the same fashion their dialogue hints at humor, which doesn't quite come across on record. This doesn't matter though, not when creativity is so manifest elsewhere.

Track Listing

Gloumpfl; Attal Attal; Elbow Rising; Looking Atcha; Scrieve; Aire We; Radio Synapse.

Personnel

Joelle Leandre: bass, vocals; Barre Phillips: bass, vocals.

Album information

Title: A l'improviste | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Kadima Collective

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

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

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