Emler Tchamitchian Echampard
Emler Tchamitchian Echampard
“ à quelle distance sommes nous ?”
in circum girum ICG 1205-1
What's the point in yet another piano-bass-drums trio in a myriad of others ? Granted, this format has proven over time an unequalled showcase for the jazz pianist as incarnation of both music and ego, ultimate swing machine and essential landmark in the legend of jazz - as exemplified by the likes of Art Tatum, Earl Hines, Erroll Garner, Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett and many others. But can one really expect this hackneyed formula to deliver the tiniest ounce of surprise ?
The answer comes fast enough with this album by Andy Emler on piano, Claude Tchamitchian on double bass and Eric Echampard on drums. Right from the short opening piece "Musiciens Miniatures", the listener enters unchartered territory.
The piano's flanks are turned into a percussion instrument in Emler's hands. Scratched by drumsticks, the grating cymbals mingle with the bass's harrowing moan. What we hear are not so much notes as colours, the suggestion of something strange and desolate, like the song of a wreck washed by the undertow, or the grating of a weathercock lashed by the North wind.
The short, gripping opening piece leads into the extended second track, which sustains that initial, vaguely unsettling and meditative atmosphere : the high register clinking of the prepared piano, the gong-like sound of a mallet hitting cymbals, and yet again the grating moan of the double bass... Only after four minutes of this odd and fascinating mix does the first proper theme burst in, its flamboyant classicism making for a striking contrast. The bassist lets go of his bow, the drummer sets up a rhythmic pattern while the piano states the theme - we are back on familiar ground, although after this incredible introduction there's a newfound freshness to it.
In any case the impression is shortlived, and the extended developments of "Quelque-Chose A Dire", while they don't cause the same shock as the album's opening minutes, help to further clarify where the trio's originality really resides. Its music is not so much the meeting point of individual lines, trajectories and paths, as it is a unified and ever-fluctuating mass. It has little in common with the classic notion of the rhythm section merely setting up and lighting the stage for the pianist to dance, twirl and flit around on, as the clown, juggler and contorsionist that he is.
What's heard here instead are musicians carrying equal weight, with no identifiable leader. This approach, further evidenced by the fact that four of the seven original compositions on this album are group-credited, is carefully studied not only to produce a unique sonic fabric, but also to develop the music through changes of colours rather than thematic development. And this can only work if the musicians adapt their technique accordingly, and here all three do so - Claude Tchamitchian with his frequent and highly impressive use of the bow; Eric Echampard wth his abundant and delicate use of cymbals; and Andy Emler in largely avoiding the conventions of swing melody, favouring instead large flat tints of colours and rich chordal work.
Hear ye, ladies and gentlemen - the piano-bass-drums trio is not dead ! Most recent attempts to revive it were rock- and/or look-related, with groups like The Bad Plus and E.S.T., but the recent effort by the excellent percussionist/drummer Gregg Bendian, "Charge", featuring the little-known pianist Steve Hunt, marked a turning point, with its attempt at creating music which, in addition to mixing varied influences, assigned more equal roles to the three musicians.
Now three familiar faces on the French jazz scene have come up with their own, original and convincing concept of the trio - rich, poetic and evocative, sustaining its full impact through repeated listenings. Highly recommended !
Laurent Poiget in www.citizenjazz.com
Tranlastion by Aymeric Leroy.