Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Edouard Ferlet: Par Tous Les Temps

209

Edouard Ferlet: Par Tous Les Temps

By

View read count
Edouard Ferlet: Par Tous Les Temps
Edouard Ferlet is a young French pianist who has been making a name for himself in Europe with his own projects and, most notably, with two recordings for bassist Jean-Philippe Viret’s trio. Etant Donnes and Considerations , both released on Philippe Ghielmetti’s progressive Sketch Music label, established Ferlet as a new artist on the scene with formidable technique and a unique approach. Par Tous Les Temps , his first solo piano outing, is a remarkable recording that continues to assert his vision.

While Ferlet can lean towards impressionism, as he does on “Premonitions,” he just as often exhibits an expressionist disposition, sometimes within the same piece. Alternating between rhythmically conflicting passages that demonstrate a staggering left-hand/right-hand independence and more airy, abstract passages, “Ping Pong,” in a single piece, defines much of what Ferlet is about. Abstract and dark, “Valse a Satan” shows another side of Ferlet, informed by contemporary composers including Bartok and Ligeti.

Ferlet, in fact, owes as much to new music as he does to some obvious roots in traditional jazz. His playing is an interesting confluence of influences as broad as Ahmad Jamal, Herbie Nichols and Keith Jarrett. The Jamal influence is less overt, more about elegance and use of space; his affinity for Nichols has much to do with a vivid imagination and an eclectic approach; and the Jarrett connection is less stylistic and more about pure spontaneous composition.

Some pieces clearly have a preconception, like the minor blues “Le Blues Qui Monte”; others, like the brooding “Escale,” feel as though they have been plucked out of the ether. From the free tone poem “L’Autre Moitie” to “Capitaine Croche,” mixing Satie-like absurdity with intense outward-reaching improvisations, Ferlet shows that virtuoso ability is no more than a means to an end; a tool which is ultimately used in the pursuit of artistic expression. As talented as Ferlet clearly is, there are no self-congratulating technical displays; it’s all about the music.

Par Tous Les Temps continues the philosophy of Sketch Music, which, in its short existence, has done much to promote an alternative vision of improvised music and a new group of European artists. At once abstract and direct, impressionistic and expressionistic, Ferlet’s recording highlights a distinctive vision which, much as jazz is about subsuming one’s roots into something larger, brings together a variety of seemingly conflicting influences, creating a new whole.

Visit Edouard Ferlet and Sketch Music on the web.

Track Listing

Ping Pong; Le Blues Qui Monte; Premonitions; Valse a Satan; Fair Les Doigts Raides; Escale; L

Personnel

Edouard Ferlet (piano)

Album information

Title: Par Tous Les Temps | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Sketch

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.