Track review of "Softly Her Tower Crumbled in the Sweet Silent Sun."
Each one of French guitarist Marc Ducret's Tower series albums has featured different lineups and instrumentation. With Tower vol. 3, he employs a three-man trombone attack with percussion and piano performers; as stated in the album liners, the band "plays comments on the music already played." Therefore, the musicians redevelop and dissect previous works appearing on the first two volumes. At times polytonal via the divergent instrumentation mix, the trombonists' powerful choruses supply interesting contrasts as the band takes on a malleable persona during certain movements. Ducret's signature off-kilter, distortion-laced phrasings and animated single- note lines often steer the ship.
The album closer, "Softly Her Tower Crumbled in the Sweet Silent Sun," commences with a Philip Glass-type circular movement, yet perhaps not as minimalistic in scope. Here, the artists punctuate the main theme, leading to several bars of linear and contrapuntal choruses. Add Antonin Rayon's brawny piano chords and a sense of urgency takes precedence. However, the group shifts the dynamic into a quiet and capacious bridge section with long gaps between notes. Followed by warm horn parts, the dense and probing characteristics give way to soft variations of the opening theme.
The ensemble creates mood-evoking subplots and disparate viewpoints amid cyclical re-engineering processes, closing it out on a temperate note. Indeed, this three-volume series has been a major source of interest for Ducret's fan base, and deservedly so. But according to the press release, this album could denote the final installment of the Tower series.
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.
We sent a confirmation message to . Look for it, then click the link to activate your account. If you don’t see the email in your inbox, check your spam, bulk or promotions folder.