For the last week I have been giving Christophe Dal Sasso's new record "Pretexte" as spin in the car. I much admire his work for the Belmondo Brother's which is a blend of French Impressionism and Ellingtonia. His own recordings again demonstrate that he is one of the best writers for woodwinds in jazz today but lean far more heavily towards the kind of "Third Stream" jazz that was popular in the late 50's by artists such as Gunther Schuller and George Russell. I don't think he has a particular individual theory but there is a sense in much of his work of using a motif or idea as a point of reference for developing the writing. i.e. He does not use melodies and relies on figures which seem to align is music more towards the kind of sounds familiar to those who have checked out more atonal composers from the mid-20th Century. There are also pieces like "Morning Sound" where he is exploring rhythm.
What is interesting is the way that his groups seem totally savvy with regard to contemporary jazz with a few, latter tracks also employing a fender rhodes to add to the tonal palette. I think the slower pieces are far more succeessful albeit Dal Sasso definately shys away from up-tempo arrangements. It is an interesting listen even if best taken at one track at a time as the music seems only to switch between the angular, atonal compositions and the lusher, more impressionistic ones.
Listening to this set me thinking that the Third Stream jazz was particularly of it's era and what was once a radical decision to opt for a more formal, "Classical" approach to arrangement has very much been absorbed by the mainstream to be a vital ingredient in the jazz of today. The previous message board seemed to dedictae a lot of energy to discussing the likes of Braxton and George Lewis who might be considered the logical heirs to Russell, etc but Dal Sasso must be one of the most faithful adherents to the original mantra. The orchestra is pretty good and very typical of the French tendancy to look outside the US for inspiration (there is an African feel to "Morning Sound") yet I can't help thinking what this music would sound like if performed by a crack, New York ensemble with more spary soloists. Dal Sasso's previous record with his former teacher, Dave Liebman, suggests that the charts are an effective spring-board for world class soloists.
Here's a clip of a recent gig at the Duc des Lonmbards club where they perform music from the CD. Dal Sasso is the flautist on the left, at the front:-
What is interesting is the way that his groups seem totally savvy with regard to contemporary jazz with a few, latter tracks also employing a fender rhodes to add to the tonal palette. I think the slower pieces are far more succeessful albeit Dal Sasso definately shys away from up-tempo arrangements. It is an interesting listen even if best taken at one track at a time as the music seems only to switch between the angular, atonal compositions and the lusher, more impressionistic ones.
Listening to this set me thinking that the Third Stream jazz was particularly of it's era and what was once a radical decision to opt for a more formal, "Classical" approach to arrangement has very much been absorbed by the mainstream to be a vital ingredient in the jazz of today. The previous message board seemed to dedictae a lot of energy to discussing the likes of Braxton and George Lewis who might be considered the logical heirs to Russell, etc but Dal Sasso must be one of the most faithful adherents to the original mantra. The orchestra is pretty good and very typical of the French tendancy to look outside the US for inspiration (there is an African feel to "Morning Sound") yet I can't help thinking what this music would sound like if performed by a crack, New York ensemble with more spary soloists. Dal Sasso's previous record with his former teacher, Dave Liebman, suggests that the charts are an effective spring-board for world class soloists.
Here's a clip of a recent gig at the Duc des Lonmbards club where they perform music from the CD. Dal Sasso is the flautist on the left, at the front:-
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