Home » Jazz Musicians » Emile Parisien
Emile Parisien
The reference points on Parisien’s personal musical map are very widely spread indeed. They range from the popular folk traditions of his homeland to the compositional rigour of contemporary classical music, and also to the abstraction of free jazz. And yet everything he does has a naturalness and authenticity about it. Rather than appearing pre-meditated or constrained, his music has a flow, he traverses genres with a remarkable fleetness of foot and an effortless inevitability.
What is it that makes the simple urgency of Parisien’s music quite so enjoyable? How does he manage to combine a provocative and anarchic streak with such a captivating sense of swing? Anyone who has seen and heard him on stage will know: it is because he lives his jazz with body and soul, because there is an authenticity and honesty inflecting every breath and every note.
Tags
Hugo Carvalhais: Ascetica
by Glenn Astarita
Venerable Portuguese bassist Hugo Carvalhais' Ascetica" is a mesmerizing journey into the depths of progressive jazz, offering a soundscape which is vast and immersive, crafted with meticulous attention to detail. Carvalhais and his ensemble, create a polygonal musical environment through a blend of electronic manipulations, ambient soundscapes, springy synth riffs, and forceful sax soloing, often raising the temperature and broadening the scope. With blossoming jazz improvisations amid pulsating rock motifs, they occasionally generate fluctuating time signatures and slippery phrasings.
read moreJan Lundgren: Into the Night
by Phillip Woolever
This excellent album is part of a series of modern jazz projects with a twist, featuring live recordings by many of the German label ACT's top artists, in unique, uncategorized, and often first time formations. The album comes from a 2020 set at the Ystad Festival in Sweden, which homegrown pianist Jan Lundgren founded and has directed since 2010. This trio actually arose out of necessity after a musician in Lundgren's originally scheduled group, which included Lars Danielsson, ...
read moreEmile Parisien: Louise
by Neri Pollastri
Sebbene da noi un po' ignorato, il sassofonista e compositore Emile Parisien è da tempo uno dei migliori rappresentanti della eccellente scuola francese, nonché tra i più interessanti interpreti internazionali del sax soprano. Noto per le sue collaborazioni con l'estroso fisarmonicista Vincent Peirani e con il pianista italiano residente a Parigi Roberto Negro, presente pure in questo lavoro, è anche un notevole band leader e lo dimostra qui in Louise (dedicato alla scultrice Louise Bourgeois), ove dirige un classico" sestetto ...
read moreRoberto Negro: Papier Ciseau
by Neri Pollastri
Un album di Roberto Negro non è mai qualcosa di prevedile o facilmente etichettabile; ne avevamo preso atto un paio d'anni fa, ascoltando il suo piano solo, Kings and Bastards, torniamo a osservarlo in questa sua nuova opera nella quale anche stavolta mette insieme un lavoro originalissimo, mutevole e sorprendente. Lo fa allargando a quartetto il già collaudato trio Dadadacon cui aveva pubblicato (Saison 3aggiungendo il basso elettrico di Valentin Ceccaldi agli storici collaboratori Emile Parisien al sax soprano e ...
read moreWollny - Parisien - Lefebvre - Lillinger: XXXX
by Phillip Woolever
This unique group effort by a progressive team of virtuoso improvisers doesn't always hit the mark of inspired mastery, but the project certainly expands such possibilities. The album is culled from a four-night stand at Berlin's well-known A-Trane club which produced around eight hours of recorded material. The intriguing, unpredictable package presented here clocks in at around 45 minutes. The opening track Somewhere Around Barstow" pops with multiple-sourced seeds which literally set a stage for the chaotic chops ...
read moreIro Haarla, Ulf Krokfors, Eric Dolphy and More
by Maurice Hogue
Some very important saxophonists are featured in this episode: Frenchman Emile Parisien is back with almost all of his original quartet, Gebhard Ullman shows why he's considered one of the best contemporary multi-reedists with his Basement Research band, Dave Rempis's new trio debuts The Early Bird Gets, and the great Eric Dolphy with previously-unissued music in an impressive package released by Resonance Records. For Valentine's Day, partners pianist Iro Haarla and bassist Ulf Krokfors send some love ...
read moreTomasz Dabrowski, Thumbscrew and other new releases
by Maurice Hogue
Back in January 2018, for all intents and purposes, Cuneiform Records shut down most of their operation. A total reassessment of their position in the industry and the state of the industry itself were scheduled. Would they be back or not? Lo and behold, some months later they returned and we have to thank Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek and Tomas Fujiwara of Thumbscrew for convincing Cuneiform to release not one, but two, new albums by the trio and getting back ...
read more