« Parole Plongée » Facing You / IMR,

Distribution by Musea, Souffle Continu march 2014.
After listening to one of my solo piano improvisations on the internet Benjamin Duboc contacted me.
I went to one of his concerts at « jazz@home » where he played with Didier Lasserre. We discussed the idea of ​​recording together. We met in July 2013 at the studio la Fonderie for a free improvisations recording. All three very close in the studio around the superb Fazioli we played a totally serene and poetic improvised music with a dreamy and energetic language that does not refer to any style, timeless. The recording and mixing sessions were done by Maïkôl Seminatore at The Border Studio. Marwan Danoun did the mastering at studio Galaxy.They gave our improvisations a spacious and warm sound, where all our musical intentions are very naturally enhanced.

Benjamin Duboc

Didier Lasserre

Postilaatikkoon tipahti viikolla miellyttävä yllätys. Ranskasta lähetetyssä kuoresta löytyi tyylikkääseen ja pelkistettyyn pahvikoteloon pakattu cd-levy, jonka nimi on “Parole Plongée” (Facing You/IMR, 2014), Googlen kääntämänä “puhe sukellus”.

Levyllä soittavat pianisti Henri Roger, basisti Benjamin Duboc ja rumpali Didier Lasserre. Kaikki kolme muusikkoa olivat minulle ennalta tuntemattomia. Saatoin siis ryhtyä kuuntelemaan levyä vapaana ennakko-odotuksista.

Levyn koostuu saatekirjeen mukaan viime heinäkuussa levytysstudiossa yhden päivän aikana improvisoidusta free jazzista. Reilut kymmenen minuuttia kestävä “Sables” kasvaa pitkän bassointron jälkeen tiheämmäksi ja intensiivisemmäksi. Lopussa improvisaatio tavoittelee vapaamuotoista svengiä.

Vajaat kahdeksan minuutin mittainen “Altermutations” on hiljainen, levollinen ja pysähtynyt tunnelmapala. “Thé ou café ?” on lyhyt ja kiihkeä purskahdus. Levyn päättää noin 16 minuuttia kestävä “Ré-Horizontalisé”, joka tavallaan kokoaa yhteen kolmen ensimmäisen raidan ideoita ; vapaasti hahmottuva groove, staattinen mietiskely, jännitteiden rakentaminen ja purkaminen, muusikoiden keskustelunomainen vuorovaikutus.

Trion musiikissa on selvästi kyse kommunikaatiosta, mihin ajatukseen levyn nimikin johdattelee. Perinteiselle jazzille ominainen jako solistiin ja komppiin jää koko ajan taka-alalle, kun kolmikko sukeltaa yhteisen keskustelun syövereihin.

Netti tietää, että kaikki levyn muusikot ovat osa ranskalaisen free jazzin ja vapaan improvisaation kenttää. Heidän yhteistyökumppaneidensa joukosta löytyy jo jollain tavalla tuttuja nimiä, esimerkiksi Barre Phillips, Daniel Erdmann ja Jean-Luc Cappozzo. Trion jäsenten nettisivuilta pääsee myös monien muiden kiinnostavien ranskalaisten muusikoiden ja kokoonpanojen jäljille.

Parole Plongée, slutligen, är en lågintensiv piano-trio med en viss ECM-touch ; det är luftigt, fritt men melodiskt, aldrig vräkigt, aldrig fult. Inte ens när trion krämar på lite grann. Det är städat och snällt men ändå med en viss uppnosighet. Henri Roger är lite spännande, han verkar ha hängt med sedan mitten på 70-talet och ägnat sig åt mer elektroniska aktiviteter, mycket synt och gitarr. Här fokuserar han dock på det akustiska pianot och han gör det med bravur. Hela instrumentet utnyttjas, och det är mycket vackert när han spelar på pianots riktigt låga register. Mäktigt. Roger är inspirerad av Keith Jarrett vilket inte känns helt oväntat, den melodiska kärnan finns hos båda. Duboc är som vanligt jättebra, han spelar lugnt och fint och ger lyssnaren en trygg känsla, han är en sådan basist som håller ihop musiken, ger den stabilitet. Till och med när han spelar solo känns det som att han arbetar för formen, riktningen och stabiliteten snarare än att visa upp sig. Didier Lasserre, känd från trion Snus där även svensksönerna Joel Grip och Niklas Barnö ingår, är både mjuk och kantig på samma gång. Han kan smeka för att i nästa stund slå till. Hans cymbalspel är spännande och hans sound är genomarbetat och väldigt bra. Trion låter fint tillsammans och man får nog ändå säga att det, något enstaka stökigt spår till trots, genomgående är något slags ballad-känsla i musiken. Parole Plongée är lugn och behärskad, med eftertanke. Trots detta spelar trion en musik som hela tiden går framåt, utan att tveka och tappa fart. Denna typ av drivande ballad kan vara ganska intressant och de tre herrarna klarar av att hålla intensiteten uppe och musiken är ganska intressant från start till slut.
Sound of Music

"Parole Plongée"

—Duboc contacted pianist-guitarist Henri Roger after listening to one of his solo piano improvisations and suggested a meeting with him and Lasserre. The three met in the studio in July 2013 for a recording of four free improvised pieces.

The atmosphere throughout the four spontaneous pieces is serene and inclusive, and not bound by any genre, style or convention. The interplay morphs organically between dreamy, minimalist segments to tight and energetic bursts, always maintaining the highly collaborative communication. Roger fits naturally within the telepathic-poetic interplay of Duboc and Lasserre, in its reserved form in the first two pieces, "Sables" and "Altermutations" or in its intense, muscular one in the short "Thé ou Café?."

The last piece, the 16-minutes "Ré-Horizontalisé," enable the trio to play with its lyrical, reserved language on a broader canvas, with more room for solo parts. The trio opts again for minimal, patient articulation of the open-ended outline of this improvisation, offering each soloist to charge the ethereal atmosphere with personal, suggestive colors and captivating moods.Eyal Hareuveni

Playing an accepted lead instrument, Monaco-based pianist Henri Roger assembles a tripartite trio session on Parole Plongée. Self-taught and someone who has matched wits with accomplished improvisers such as bassist Barre Phillips and drummer Bruno Tocanne, Roger overcomes any restrictive rhythm section tendencies that could be exhibited by bassist Benjamin Duboc and drummer Didier Lasserre. A long-time rhythm duo, Duboc and Lasserre have backed sound explores like baritone saxophonist Daunik Lazro in the past.
With Duboc’s thick strumming as supple as it is stentorian, ringing staccato lines from the pianist are needed to wrench the impetus from the bassist on “Sables” following a Scott LaFaro-like thematic impetus. Yet Roger, who agreed to do this session after being contacted by the bassist who heard a solo piano invention on the internet, acquits himself with little strain. Almost immediately on this track, Roger outlines a parallel narrative which speedily locks in with Duboc’s theme upping the tension, while intensifying the swing. Tellingly it’s Roger’s soundboard rumble which creates the resounding climax. “Altermutations” verifies that the pianist can maintain this directness in balladic form. He contributes to this tremolo romp by melding passing chords, backed by Lesserre’s sizzle cymbals.
Overall, though, the key track is the expansive “Ré-Horizontalisé”, which would make some figure this trio formation followed years of interaction. Balanced in each aspect, Roger’s modulation between impressionistic and impactful voicing connects easily with the others’ strategies, As Lasserre’s cymbal resonate, and Duboc displays tough string stops, Roger sparks the performance with excursions into the treble clef, quoting “Surrey with a Fringe on Top” for a split-second. Heartily appending contemporary Bop to the bassist and drummer’s more overt avant-gardisms, the three eventually create a showcase that’s powerfully unique without being frighteningly obtuse.
Roger, Duboc and Lasserre have serendipitously come up with a notable addition to the Jazz piano trio literature. Plus Shipp, Parker and Cosgrove are assured in their improvisations as well. However in assessing Alternating Currents, one would hope that after this baptism by fire (music) the drummer would be more assured the next time he records with the others.
— Ken Waxman JazzWord

It’s always interesting to see how a rhythm section adjusts to different playing partners. Last year, bassist Benjamin Duboc and drummer Didier Lasserre reprised their trio with Daunik Lazro on Sens Radiants. Here, Lazro’s inimitable sax is swapped out with Henri Roger’s touch on the ivories. Of course, in a modern piano trio the “rhythm section” often gleams in unorthodox hues, so perhaps we should just say that it’s always a pleasure to hear familiar minds and hands sparring with exciting, unfamiliar ones. Duboc contacted Roger after hearing some of his improvisations online, and, after catching a duo show of Duboc and Lasserre, Roger teamed up with them for the recording that would become Parole Plongée.

The sound of the group is not unlike Duboc and Lasserre’s trio with pianist Jobic Le Masson (Free Unfold Trio), though less brooding and a bit more caffeinated. Parole Plongée starts off with a beautiful solo by Duboc, which drifts along lyrically as Roger and Lasserre gradually throw in support. As the pace quickens, a strong energy percolates just below the surface, signaling not tension, but enthusiasm. As “Sables” progresses, a call-and-response develops between Roger and Duboc, a playful dispute negotiated through Lasserre’s thrumming mediation.

“Altermutations” is built out of stacks of piano notes—sustain pedal firmly planted—creating a rippling pool of sound, over which Lasserre’s cymbals rustle in the wind. Roger has a thoughtful approach—a light touch, well articulated. He’s interested in harmony, and often lets chords hang in the air for a moment, savoring the decay and soaking in how his compatriots choose to respond. In some ways, the track reminds me of the cool, Nordic aura of a lot of Bobo Stenson’s trio work, Christensen and Motian lurking in Lasserre’s brushwork.

Parole Plongée is nice in that it strikes an attractive balance between the carefully selected and arranged sounds typical of lowercase improvisation and the more fast-paced virtuosity of free jazz. “Thé Ou Café ?” is a loud little sprint—it’s the most animated of the bunch (clearly they picked the second option), lasting less than 4 minutes and prefacing the long, introspective “Ré-Horizontalisé.” Things briefly boil over as they reach a crescendo in the final minutes, Roger heaving clusters of deep notes into the foray.

In all, a satisfying little album, for sure.
Dan Sorrells
The Free Jazz Collective