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Sylvain Rifflet & Jon Irabagon: Perpetual Motion (A Celebration of Moondog)
ByA native of rural Kansas, Hardin came to New York in the 1940s and, when not engaged in his unconventional street life, he might have been found jamming with Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus or Charlie Parker. While music legends including Leonard Bernsteinwho taught Hardin to conductrecognized his enormous musical talent, the passerby saw him as an eccentric street character; the "Viking of 6th Avenue." Hardin's inspirations were unusually broad, spanning island music, Native American, early European and jazz. It was this odd combination of influences and the natural rhythms of the New York street scene that ignited the imagination of French composer and multi-reedist Sylvain Rifflet. Teaming up with the first-rate saxophonist Jon Irabagon, Perpetual Motion (A Celebration of Moondog) was born.
Rifflet has worked with drummers Aldo Romano and Joey Baron, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and he leads an eclectic quartetAlphabetwhose influences range from Tom Waits to the avant-garde composer Steve Reich. He has an extensive background that includes a range of work from big bands to an award-winning soundtrack. Irabagon is a pivotal member of Mostly Other People Do the Killing and the Mary Halvorson Quintet and he leads a trio featuring drummer Barry Altschul and bassist Mark Helias. The sextet on Perpetual Motionis rounded-out with Rifflet's colleagues from Alphabet and pianist Eve Risser.
Recorded live at the thirtieth Banlieues Bleues Festival in 2013, the album includes two Rifflet compositions among the twelve little-known Hardin works. Children's choirs from a number of schools in the Seine-Saint Denis area add innocence and exuberance to "Aska Me," "Maybe" and "My Tiny Butterfly." In contrast, Rifflet's compositions "Round Paris" and "From the jazz book extended" are edgy and more forceful. Field recordings augment "Heat on the Heather" with its cadence of the streetscraping shovels, a beggar's change-cup, traffic noisesreplicated with electronics, chains on drums, prepared piano, a music box and less easily identified gadgets. It's a curiosity that "Bird's Lament"Hardin's tribute to Charlie Parkerhasn't been widely recorded. Soulful and bold, it is the most moving of Hardin's more jazz-oriented compositions andlike many of his compositionstimeless in style.
There are numerous stand-out performances throughout Perpetual Motion. Rifflet (on clarinet) and Risser share a lyrical duet on "Santa Fe" and Igboran's extended solo on "Maybe" highlights his visceral tone and improvisational skills. Guitarist Philippe Gordiani adds jagged rock emphasis to "Oasis" while "Black Hole" takes a minimalist approach dominated by Risser. Percussionist Benjamin Flament does a masterful job of directing the frequent shifts in pacing and flautist Joce Mienniel creates beautiful pastoral effects. Hardin's fantastical mix of poetic narratives, simple melodies and soundscapes provide Rifflet and Irabagon with enough moving pieces to potentially lead into the weeds but in the case of Perpetual Motion we have a moving tribute to a virtually unknown genius and a small masterpiece of musicianship. The two-disc set includes a DVD of the Banlieues Bleues Festival performance.
Track Listing
Oasis; Heat On The Heather; Bird's Lament; Black Hole; From One To Nine; Round Paris; Aska Me; Fleur De Lis; Maybe; Nero's Expedition; My Tiny Butterfly; From The Jazz Book No. 2; From The Jazz Book Extended; Santa Fe.
Personnel
Sylvain Rifflet
saxophone, tenorSylvain Rifflet: clarinet, electronics, tenor saxophone; Jon Irabagon: alto/tenor saxophone; Benjamin Flament: percussion; Philippe Gordiani: guitar; Joce Mienniel: flute; Eve Risser: electric harpsichord, piano.
Album information
Title: Perpetual Motion (A Celebration of Moondog) | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Jazz Village
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About Sylvain Rifflet
Instrument: Saxophone, tenor
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