Jazz Articles about Erik Truffaz

Erik Truffaz: Face-a-Face

by John Kelman
May 20, 2006

French trumpeter Erik Truffaz, one of the hardest working artists in jazz, seems to be endlessly on tour with his two groups. The only place his stylistically hybridized music has yet to make significant inroads is the US--which is a shame because Truffaz is a fine player from the electric Miles camp and a largely innovative conceptualist as well. Face-à-Face, his first live release, includes one disc with his piano-based quartet and the other with his guitar-centric Ladyland. It demonstrates ...

Erik Truffaz: Saloua

by Chris M. Slawecki
September 21, 2005

I am pleased and saddened to report that this is one of the best pieces of music I have heard in 2005. It is a pleasure to have discovered the fifth album in the US for Blue Note, and ninth album overall, by this French composer, bandleader, and trumpet player. Yet it is also sad, because although this is his fifth/ninth release, it is the very first one I have heard.

Truffaz works on trumpet, melodica, and electronics ...

Erik Truffaz: Saloua

by Jim Santella
September 7, 2005

Erik Truffaz ensures that jazz will continue to grow. On Saloua, he incorporates a world view of the genre, picking up where Miles Davis left off. Tradition remains a part of his music; however, it's been disguised by modern concepts that affect all forms of popular music. Truffaz's horn swirls with the kind of moody melodicism that casts impressions far and wide. Muted trumpet and open horn allow him to express emotions with a lyrical bent. “Whispering" floats gently on ...

Erik Truffaz: Saloua

by Eric J. Iannelli
July 23, 2005

Jazz is by nature an act of continual fusion, the conflation of disparate styles, instrumentation and techniques into one dynamic whole. Nevertheless, one small subgenre--specifically the blending of rock and jazz--is most often applied with the “fusion" label; and though Miles Davis' name isn't exactly synonymous with the term, on the strength of his pioneering efforts In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew, the two have become inseparable.

French trumpeter Erik Truffaz, it seems, has aimed to better Davis (and ...

Erik Truffaz: Saloua

by Mark F. Turner
July 21, 2005

A disciple of Miles Davis' fusion/electric years, trumpeter Erik Truffaz has provided his own sounds of fusion for many years and quite impressively by cultivating many influences into this “not so new wave of jazz that younger artists are now discovering. His new release, Saloua, finds him back with a signature style that uses everything from jazz, rock and world-beat to voice and hip hop.

Reminiscent of his stylized recordings Mantis (Blue Note,2002) and The Dawn; Truffaz uses his muted ...

Erik Truffaz: Saloua

by Paul Olson
July 17, 2005

French trumpeter Erik Truffaz's sonic world is a benevolent, positive one, fusing elements of Arabic and African musics, hip-hop, groove, dub, and pop into one electronically seasoned stew. Saloua, his first CD since 2003's The Walk of the Giant Turtle, continues its eclectic synthesis of the above musical ingredients, but with new musicians. Here Truffaz's group is composed of bassist Michel Benita, drummer Philippe “Pipon Garcia, and guitarist Manu Codjia. They're supplemented by Tunisian singer Mouni Troudi and spoken-word artist ...

Erik Truffaz in Tampere: Fusion for the 21st Century

by Matthew Wuethrich
November 12, 2003

Old Customs Hall Tampere, Finland October 31, 2003

The Erik Truffaz 4tet wears two faces. One screams, “Fusion Lives!" and the other whispers in hushed tones. But after 90 minutes it becomes clear which mask they prefer-the full-out, ear-splitting fusion. Most of their eight-song set consists of open-ended jams that show both brilliant flashes and tedious moments, often coming in rapid succession on the same tune.

The 4tet display many exciting ideas, most of ...