The Attic & Eve Risser: La Grande Crue

The Attic & Eve Risser's La Grande Crue is a multi-directional ride through the world of free jazz, featuring the talents of Rodrigo Amado on tenor saxophone, Gonçalo Almeida on bass, Onno Govaert on drums and French pianist Eve Risser. The Attic, renowned for its intuitive and spontaneous style, welcomes Risser into its musical ecosystem, crafting a dynamic and provocative album that unfolds across four extended works.

The album commences with "Corps," a track anchored by a somber bass line and delicate piano motifs that serve as a tranquil prelude to Amado's introspective saxophone lines. The quartet gradually builds intensity, constructing a soundscape that is simultaneously mesmerizing, serene and subtly unsettling. However, they expand the musical terrain, teeming with the saxophonist's fervent dialogues and Risser's animated contrasts and powerful block chords. Imagine a sonic canvas where sound replaces pigment: each musician is a brush, creating an auditory masterpiece that evolves with each passing moment.

"Peau" emerges as a playful, open-forum exposition, where musical boundaries dissolve and improvisation reigns supreme. The musicians engage in a spirited conversation, trading ideas with the spontaneity of jazz improv veterans who speak a language only they understand.

The finale, "Pierre," conjures a noir-tinged atmosphere. Amado's buzzing notes dance atop Govaert's fractured pulse, gradually morphing into an offbeat groove with a stoic temperament. The band navigates through multidirectional conversations, with soloists occasionally shadowing each other, creating a landscape of intermittent mood swings and intense outbursts. It is the consummate conclusion to an album that traverses the emotional spectrum from composure to agitation and back again.

La Grande Crue manages to be as unpredictable and lively as a jazz quartet engaged in a high-stakes game of musical chairs—only with more artistic sophistication and considerably less furniture. This is not merely an album but an invitation to abandon preconceived notions of musical structure and surrender to pure unbridled sonic exploration.