Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Antoine Pierre: Suspended (Live at Flagey)

3

Antoine Pierre: Suspended (Live at Flagey)

By

Sign in to view read count
Antoine Pierre: Suspended (Live at Flagey)
Although the Belgian music scene is rich and varied, it is much neglected outside its national borders, as evidenced by the case of Aka Moon, an extraordinary trio that has celebrated 25 years of activity, but is still practically ignored by the foreign media. Let's hope the same does not happen with this new young talent, the drummer Antoine Pierre, and his group Urbex, already among the main protagonists of the 2020 edition of the Brussels Jazz Festival.

Suspended was recorded live in January 2020 at the aforementioned festival hosted by the Cultural Center of Flagey. That night the music was introduced as "Variations on Bitches Brew," a tribute to electric Miles Davis through original compositions by Pierre. For the occasion, his usual sextet, in which in particular stand out the trumpeter Jean-Paul Estiévenart, pianist Bram De Looze and guitarist Bert Cools (all musicians already well established on the Belgian scene, and names to watch) had become Urbex Electric with the presence of three guests, Ben van Gelder on soprano sax, Jozef Dumoulin on Fender Rhodes, and Reinier Baas on guitar, in order to recreate with a more appropriate instrumentation the sounds of the Davis album which had been taken as a reference, but without the intention of doing just a simple re-reading.

Certainly an ambitious project, but one that can be considered successful. From the opening "Steam" we find ourselves immersed in the boiling atmospheres inspired by Davis' masterpiece, made possible by solid and rigorous writing that combines composition and improvisation. The set then continues through more calm and meditative moments such as the long "What U Expect!" (reminiscent of the Davis composition "Sanctuary"), framed between two tracks (the two "Abstracts") where we can appreciate the electronic textures, before returning to the groove of "You Nod But You Ain't" that leads to the final track, "Sound Barrier," passing through a drum solo highlighting the leader's skills. The concert ended with the performance as an encore of "Directions," that was the theme song of the live electric Davis, but it is not included on the CD.

In addition to Pierre's extraordinary composing talent, the interplay and cohesion shown by the whole group (bassist Félix Zurstrassen and percussionist Frédéric Malempré complete the lineup) merits mention. All the musicians contribute to the final result as a collective, through a series of musical interlockings that can be best appreciated through repeated listenings . One of the best albums released in 2020.

Track Listing

Steam; Obsession; Abstract: Peace; What U Expect!; Abstract: Tide; Feather; You Nod But You Ain't; Drums Take Over; Sound Barrier.

Personnel

Album information

Title: Suspended (Live at Flagey) | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: OutNote Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of 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 create 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.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

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