Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Marie-Fatima Rudolf Trio: Transparence

277

Marie-Fatima Rudolf Trio: Transparence

Marie-Fatima Rudolf Trio: Transparence
Transparence is an emotionally invigorating and musically captivating release by Montreal-based pianist and composer Marie-Fatima Rudolf. Montreal has long been known for its strong jazz scene and world class summer jazz festival, and it is performers such as Rudolf that have helped the city become a beacon for jazz in Canada and beyond. The songs on Transparence are thoughtfully composed and arranged, the trio grooves hard, and the improvised solos are both melodically creative and rhythmically diverse; producing an album that is as highly listenable as it is intellectually stimulating.

The collection of tunes on Transparence is a mixture of original compositions by Rudolf and bassist Martin Heslop, and several clever and fresh interpretations of the jazz standards "Moon and Sand," "My Funny Valentine" and Cole Porter's "So in Love." One of the compositional highlights of the record is the title track, which was composed and arranged by Rudolf. It features a slow funk-based groove that brings to light the trio's heightened sense of group dynamic, something that has been developed by many nights spent together on Montreal bandstands. The tune begins with a memorable, vocal-like melody line that leads into a strong solo by Rudolf, showcasing her ability to draw from the tune's main melody as inspiration for her improvisations. By keeping the melody line alive during the solo, Rudolf blurs the lines between the head and the blowing, providing a sense of composition and improvisation throughout the piece—and the rest of the album, for that matter.

Whether it is interpreting the melody of a classic standard, laying down a modal, chord-based intro, or flying through complex improvised single-lines, Rudolf is at her best on every track. Her strong harmonic sense and ability to weave melodic based ideas through her lines brings a sense of maturity to her playing; something that one would not expect from such a young player.

The rhythm section of Heslop and drummer Eric Thibodeau is also stellar, as they provide several memorable moments as both compers and soloists. This includes Heslop's carefully crafted improvisation on "My Funny Valentine," which features a powerful interaction between all three members of the ensemble.

Transparence is a strong debut release by Rudolf. The compositions are well-thought-out, the ensemble is tight on every track, and the improvisations are thought-provoking and highly creative. With a debut like this, the sky's the limit for the Montreal pianist and her trio.

Track Listing

Moon and Sand; Transparence; My Funny Valentine; Run to the Hills; Separation; So in Love; Rock Ballad.

Personnel

Marie-Fatima Rudolf: piano; Martin Heslop: bass; Eric Thibodeau: drums.

Album information

Title: Transparence | Year Released: 2009 | 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

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.