Xavier Lecouturier: I Remember Why Now

Wisdom is in part gathered by the realization that one can only be honest with oneself. There are no lies, only distractions and suppositions that put vision and truth at bay. The wisdom and truth that produces great music is not only arrived at by immersion into the art itself, but the immersion and subsequent understanding of other experiences from which inspiration is drawn. Drummer / composer Xavier Lecouturier in his second solo album, explores the realization that there has to be "something else" that drives one's humanity to produce great music. Surrounded by an excellent gathering of musicians he has encountered in his chosen hometown of Seattle, I Remember Why Now is a focused effort that incorporates many of the tools Lecouturier has gathered as both a maturing artist and someone more in touch with his own sense of impenetrable happiness.

In the time before and during the recording sessions that produced this release, Lecouturier was a subject of concern around the Seattle jazz scene. His usual flurry of musical activity had slowed to a crawl, actually canceling dates already booked. A love of the natural world, more specifically experienced on the open waters of Salish Sea, had become a priority alongside his career in music. Lecouturier was living in a sailboat moored in Seattle, and his maritime explorations had matched in spirit, his explorations of the musical type. The satisfaction of repairing his vessel with his own hands brought with it a deep sense of accomplishment. This was the "something else" he had been looking for. It would soon lead to the compositions and the appropriate title contained within this inspired, nine-track recording.

When compared with his first solo album, Carrier (Origin Records, 2019), the compositions tend to be more anthemic in nature, in terms of the actual written melodies. Still, they can be dense and complex as well, with open avenues for focused, freedom-seeking responses from a fine cast of improvisers.

The title track is a case in point, with the album's most recognizable theme prominently cast. The melody is largely illuminated by guitarist Jack Radsliff, before settling into a grounding solo from pianist Matt Williams. Both the Portland based Ratsliff and Seattle's Williams have a lot to say throughout this piece and the entirety of the album. When the tune returns to its theme, the prominence and melodic value of this melody is revealed in full. Radsliff takes the tune out with a riveting solo that paints a climatic arc of sound. The title itself tells the story of Lecouturier's revelatory understanding of self in the moment.

Ratsliff takes immediate charge of "Unending," a riff-based open ender that features a thoughtful, probing solo from tenor saxophonist Santosh Sharma, and a hard-edged offering from Ratsliff that slips into a swinging groove dynamically put down by the talented up-and-comer on bass, Ben Feldman. Lecouturier himself reminds us of his modern approach to jazz drumming, that like his signature as a composer is becoming a very personal style that stands out on its own terms.

"There's No Door," and "Blackstone" are more pensive in nature than the other seven offerings and impressively visual. The two melodies speak to how time and space have impacted Lecouturier's priorities as a composer. Feldman's bass solo on the former, while probing the entirety of the tune's harmonic structure with skilled precision, still is a sounding board for the melody itself. Ratsliff and Santosh's call and response do the same, no matter how astray their improvised lines may journey— the sturdy bones of the composition still cries the melody throughout. On the latter, it is Feldman's bowed interpretation that conjures thematic echoes of the composer's sense of home. Lecouturier's percussive prose is like light dancing on the water just before twilight, as dawn arrives and the music comes to a thunderous silence.

Lecouturier seems to be back on track as an artist, recording and performing at a rate one might expect from one of the most prolific young artists emanating from the Pacific Northwest in some time. I Remember Why Now seems to be a probing portal into his next ponderance of place as an artist within the labyrinth of his humanity.

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