Stéphane Payen: The Workshop, In and Out, Onze Heures Onze ****

UK readers will notice the presence of Jim Hart here on vibes in this dynamic largely French group. The Payen pieces, recorded in a Malakoff (south-west Paris) studio last autumn, begin with 'Valse,' a thrusting, cross-sectional, joust across reeds …

Published: 15 Jun 2021. Updated: 2 years.

UK readers will notice the presence of Jim Hart here on vibes in this dynamic largely French group. The Payen pieces, recorded in a Malakoff (south-west Paris) studio last autumn, begin with 'Valse,' a thrusting, cross-sectional, joust across reeds and brass. The arranging is quite tight and the intervallic sniping taut and unpredictable. A very original sounding group inspired in part by Sabar drumming from Senegal, the beefy parps of Bo Van Der Werf's baritone sax jut out sometimes (the nature of the role of the baritone quite a lot more generally) while Olivier Laisney's emergent trumpet lines recall Ralph Alessi's pristine method. A contrapuntal grittiness is the engine that keeps the group alert. Tam de Villiers on guitar, no stranger to the underground London jazz scene, feeds into the mix significantly and rhythmically the energy is as much from the heat generated by horns and reeds as by Vincent Sauve on drums whose role is more referee and for clarity as the subdivisions inherent in certain tunes such as 'Next 5' unveil themselves. That's the track I'll be returning to most on an album worth lingering long over given its lustre and sheer élan. SG. Out now on the Onze Heures Onze label

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Iconic Brazilian jazz trombonist Raul de Souza has died at the age of 86

Brazilian media have reported the death in France at the weekend of trombonist Raul de Souza who was 86 referring to a family statement on social media that confirmed de Souza's passing. The Rio-born player, known for his use of his customised …

Published: 15 Jun 2021. Updated: 2 years.

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Brazilian media have reported the death in France at the weekend of trombonist Raul de Souza who was 86 referring to a family statement on social media that confirmed de Souza's passing. The Rio-born player, known for his use of his customised electric trombone he dubbed the Souzabone, recorded albums as leader that included Colors for Milestone and Sweet Lucy, Don't Ask My Neighbors and Til Tomorrow Comes all for Capitol dating back to his heyday of the 1970s. He had been battling throat cancer. His last album Plenitude issued on fellow trombonist Paul Zauner's PAO Records was released earlier in 2021.