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Pierre Favre

Window Steps is both the title of Pierre Favre's new recording and the name of this "band of band-leaders" bought together by the Swiss drummer. Though between them they have covered most of the options in contemporary improvisation, these players have in common an advanced melodic understanding. They are, above all, lyrical improvisers.

The same may be claimed for the drummer himself who, even in the turbulent era of European free jazz'z "emancipation" stood apart from his contemporaries in his sensitivity to the tone of his instrument. Pursuing his investigations of the melodic potential of the drum set into the early 70s, Favre, originally a self-taught player, felt he was approaching the demarcation line that separated "drummer" from "composer".

To learn more about the subject, he studied classical composition and immersed himself in the diverse percussion musics of the wider world, particularly those of India, Africa and Brazil, gradually consolidating all of this new information in the "sound-color poems" he was writing for his Singing Drums group. His sensitivity as a percussionist has been evident on many ECM recordings including projects with John Surman (Such Winters Of Memory), Barre Phillips (Music By), Dino Saluzzi (Once Upon A Time - Far Away In The South), Arvo Pärt (Sarah was Ninety Years Old), Paul Giger (Alpstein) as well as his duet recordings with singer Tamia (de la nuit...le jour and Solitudes).

The diversity of his experiences has clearly helped him as a writer. The tunes he has composed for this project have a reach that extends beyond "jazz" (the piece "Cold Nose", for example has a strong "Nordic folklore" feeling that seems to share a kinship with the writing of another drummer-leader, Edward Vesala). At the same time, as a percussionist, Favre is able to balance extreme sophistication with an earthiness, a simple delight in the sound of sticks striking skins, that connects him to some of early jazz's drumming greats - Baby Dodds, Big Sid Catlett, Sonny Greer.

His playing has a clarity and sense of flow that underlines Sid Catlett's definition of swing as "my idea of how a melody should go". Part of Favre's plan for Window Steps incorporates the "orchestration" of his drum-derived melodies with the scaled-down "horn section" and "string section" provided by his bandmates.

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273
Album Review

Pierre Favre Ensemble: Le Voyage

Read "Le Voyage" reviewed by Nic Jones


Pierre Favre is a scion of the improvisation scene in Europe and beyond. There's always been a reflective element in his drum and percussion work that suggests a slightly conservative disposition which has been manifested in a kind of politeness and reticence. Those two qualities in many respects sum up the music on this disc. While the antithesis of those qualities does not necessarily make for compelling music, in this case of this recording the overall mood is slightly soporific, ...

185
Album Review

Pierre Favre: Albatros

Read "Albatros" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Renowned Swiss drummer Pierre Favre imparts his kaleidoscopic tonal palette into these intricately exercised and probing duets with fellow countryman, guitarist Philipp Schaufelberger. The musicians cover a gamut of twists, turns and subtle theme building maneuvers, including airy environs and an abundance of tradeoffs. Moreover, Favre balances out the set with structured patterns and asymmetrical rhythms in concert with his melodic fills. “Seeing" presents an ambient vista, with Favre's delicate drumming and soft cymbal hits offering a ...

186
Album Review

Pierre Favre / Philipp Schaufelberger: Albatros

Read "Albatros" reviewed by Nic Jones


A sense of “music-minus-one" is pretty pervasive on Albatros. Regardless of what instrument is played, the presence of an additional musician might have elevated the music and the discourse from which it springs, to a more ear-catching level than that attained by this configuration of musicians. As it is, this duo of guitar and drums is marked by perfunctory air. The waddling progress of “Pino Caro" seems faintly contrived, while “Seeing"--all three-and-a-half minutes of it--is heavy with ...

266
Album Review

Pierre Favre / Samuel Blaser: Vol A Voile

Read "Vol A Voile" reviewed by Nic Jones


On one level, this program of trombone and drums duets possesses very little in the way of the sound of surprise, once the ear becomes accustomed to the sparseness of the lineup. Perhaps inevitably, this means that for all their obvious empathy, the musicians don't really grab the moment, nor do they ruffle the surface calm of the music they make. In view of the promise sometimes tantalizingly shown, this makes for a frustrating listen. Of the ...

343
Album Review

Pierre Favre: Fleuve

Read "Fleuve" reviewed by Budd Kopman


With Fleuve, drummer and percussionist Pierre Favre demonstrates that not only is he a master of his instrument, but he also has complete command in the fields of composition and arrangement.

The music dances (often literally), and is light, airy and transparent. Favre seems to go out of his way to choose instrumentation that works against such a result by being bottom-heavy: acoustic and electric bass, tuba, serpent and bass clarinet are included. However, to lighten things, soprano saxophone is ...

381
Album Review

Robin Williamson: The Iron Stone

Read "The Iron Stone" reviewed by John Kelman


Scottish singer/multi-instrumentalist Robin Williamson continues to mine the nexus of traditional song and free improvisation on The Iron Stone. Back from Skirting the River Road (ECM, 2002) are Mat Maneri (viola and Hardanger fiddle) and Swedish traditionalist Ale Möller (on a plethora of instruments plucked, pressed or blown), while renowned bassist Barre Phillips makes his first appearance with Williamson. Departing from Skirting's verse by Walt Whitman, William Blake and Henry Vaughan, Williamson looks to Walter Raleigh, Thomas Wyatt, John Clare ...

147
Album Review

Pierre Favre Ensemble: Fleuve

Read "Fleuve" reviewed by John Kelman


It's hard to imagine that a group as bottom-heavy as percussionist Pierre Favre's new ensemble could actually sound light and ethereal. But Fleuve does just that. With a septet featuring two basses, tuba/serpent, percussion and, at times, bass clarinet, there's no shortage of warmth and depth. But with guitar, harp and soprano saxophone fleshing out the middle and top end, Fleuve manages to have both weight and an airy ambience that works, in no small part, due to Favre's carefully ...

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Samuel Blaser
trombone

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Percussion Dialogues

Ictus Records
2020

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Drums And Dreams

Unit Records
2012

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Albatros

Intakt Records
2011

buy

Le Voyage

Intakt Records
2011

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Albatros

Intakt Records
2010

buy

Vol à Voile

Unit Records
2010

buy

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