Vazytouille: Vazytouille

Vazytouille is a sonic menagerie similar to experiencing Cirque du Soleil. This debut is envisioned by a large ensemble comprised of members from Zoone Libre, a collective of performance musicians, and other artists based in Lille, France. The typecast concept of a big band is a little misleading as the fourteen members represents smaller subsections like string quartet, rock trio and a cappella vocal, united into a larger format. Jazz is only a part of Vazytouille's catalog, as there are many styles swirling together in this mix of sumptuous writing and improvisation.

Combined, Vazytouille's eleven pieces might suggest a lively three-ringed circus with rotating acts—each different and elaborate—such as the entrancing "Du Jour," with its playful merry-go-round dance of vocals and instruments. In comparison, "Babiole" wears a cherubic mask that contains wildly inventive solo vocalizations before setting up the two-part "Masay Christo," with its boisterous horns, a soaring violin solo that builds tension like a flying trapeze, sparring keyboards and an up-tempo boogie rhythm. It finishes with a crunchy backbeat, psychedelic guitar and undulating flutes.

Individual moments are numerous throughout but it is the collective's strength that propels music such as the splendid "Titicaca," where the harmony is elevated by a compelling chorus of voices and music, and the abstract expressionism of "Si... Si...," which contains a procession of spontaneous noises leading into a militarized drum march. An arena filled with talent and imagination exists under Vazytouille's tent, two attributes put to good use on this extraordinary debut.