Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Julian Julien: Terre II

14

Julian Julien: Terre II

By

View read count
Julian Julien: Terre II
French composer/saxophonist Julian Julien has a growing fan base and a rich portfolio of work within his native country, reflecting a wide interest in genres, cultures and media. With his first composition of note coming in a 1993 Sorbonne University project, Julien went on to release his first EP album Tupperware et Bibelot (Self-produced, 1999). While he later travelled throughout Central and Southeastern Asia, he absorbed ethnic influences that would eventually be incorporated into his increasingly eclectic style of writing.

Terre II is less of a sequel to Terre (Priskosnovenie, 2000) than the name would imply. While many of the same musical influences are present (Keith Jarrett, John Surman and film composer John Barry), Julien now works more with silence in the midst of the nuevo-jazz, chamber music and soundtrack dramas of his previous recording. There is also a strong element of European folk music that is becoming increasingly present in the continent's modern music. Terre II is also a concept album where Julien has worked with photographers from Europe, Asia and North America to realize a collaborative musical cinematography of ideas.

Terre II opens with "Prélude," its otherworldly flute and a pulsing bass setting the stage for the title track, a homage to the physical and esoteric territory covered in Julien's previous release. Julien focuses on slightly detached patterns over consistent melody. "Iris I"—the first of six randomly dispersed interludes—leans more toward the European chamber mindset (with some subdued electronic enhancements), as do the ..."II" through ..."VI" variations. "Ailleurs" envisions a better, if not utopian place, where the engaging dialog of the baritone sax and flute direct the narrative.

More personal contributions to the collection are seen in "Une Attente" and "Doudou" dealing with different aspects of the human dilemma. "Non Sens—Nonsence" takes on the very current geopolitical plight of emigres and those faced with the prospect of waves of refugees entering into their society. The album closes with "Mr. John Barry," a tribute to Julien's previously mentioned soundtrack composer favorite; an appropriate conclusion to a collection that in and of itself has elements of a cinematic score.

Though a saxophonist by trade, Julien is credited on Terre II with programming and percussion while Michaël Havard takes on many saxophones and Rémi Dumoulin mans the bass clarinet. Siegfried Canto's flute and cellist Adeline Lecce add much to the chamber aspects of the album. Terre II is a pleasing outing played in a refined atmosphere and with occasional dissonance. It suffers only minimally from a sense of not quite breaking out when given the opportunity. Still, it is different and that makes it worth considering.

Track Listing

Prélude; Terre II; Iris I; Ailleurs; Iris II; Iris III; Une attente; Iris IV; Doudou; Iris V; Non-Sens; Iris VI; Mr. John Barry.

Personnel

Julian Julien
percussion

Hélène Argo: voice; Guillaume Billaux: guitar; Siegfried Canto: flute; Médéric Collignon: cornet/voice; Rémi Dumoulin: bass clarinet; Michaël Havard: soprano, tenor, baritone saxophone; Julian Julien: percussion, programming; Adeline Lecce: cello.

Album information

Title: Terre II | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Self Produced

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

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

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.