Alexis Valet (feat. Ben van Gelder & Bojan Z) - Explorers (jazz&people)

S’affirmant comme une voix passionnante parmi ceux qui font revenir le vibraphone au devant de la scène, Alexis Valet présente un album captivant aux formats variables et aux pistes multiples, marqué par la participation éblouissante de deux figures européennes majeures, le pianiste Bojan Z et le saxophoniste Ben van Gelder. Fidèle à son titre, "Explorers" donne à entendre ce que le jazz contemporain a de plus inspiré lorsqu’il est sublimé par le sens de l’invention et la magie de l’interaction.

"Ce tout nouveau projet est une vraie révélation."

(Jazz'halo)

"Explorers” confirme qu’Alexis Valet est l’un de ceux avec qui il faut compter"

★★★★ (Jazz Magazine)

"La interpretación de Valet suena sincera, con naturalidad y cautivadora, explorando nuevos caminos para este peculiar instrumento."

(La Habitación del Jazz)

---

Asserting himself as an exciting voice among those who are bringing vibraphone back to the front of the stage, Alexis Valet presents a captivating album with a shifting format exploring multiple directions, marked by the participation of two major European figures, pianist Bojan Z and saxophonist Ben Van Gelder. True to its title, "Explorers" gives us an idea of what contemporary jazz inspires the most when it’s driven by a sense of invention and the magic of interplay.

1. Casual Polyglot 03:09

2. Plaza de la Alfalfa 05:13

3. L'Ile aux Fleurs (feat. Bojan Z) 06:28

4. Any Sunday with Her (feat. Ben van Gelder) 07:02

5. Dixie's Dilemma 05:06

6. Voyager I 02:49

7. Explorers (feat. Ben van Gelder and Bojan Z) 04:53

8. Fall (feat. Bojan Z) 04:57

9. Dr. Jackle (feat. Ben van Gelder) 05:50

10. Hats and Cards (feat. Ben van Gelder and Bojan Z) 06:41

11. What's Next? (feat. Bojan Z) 04:53

Alexis Valet, vibraphone

Lucca Fattorini, double bass

Antoine Paganotti, drums

+

Ben van Gelder, alto saxophone (on 4, 7, 9, 10, 11)

Bojan Z, piano (on 3, 7, 8, 10, 11)

All compositions by Alexis Valet, otherwise noted.

Recorded at Studio Libretto by Erwan Boulay on January 16-17th 2021.

Mixed by Erwan Boulay.

Mastered by David Darlington.

Add Christelle Raquillet on flute on track 11.

Photography: Audrey Radas

Graphic design: Olivier Linden

PRE-ORDER

Francesco Ciniglio - The Locomotive Suite (July 16, 2021 Whirlwind Recordings)

Born in Naples, educated in New York and now residing in Paris, drummer Francesco Ciniglio combines spotless drumming facility with substantial compositional flair, and has the capacity to move, reflect and express through his music. An in-demand sideman, Ciniglio has collaborated with Wynton Marsalis, Shai Maestro, Aaron Parks, Dayna Stephens, Seamus Blake and Tony Tixier.

Following his debut solo release (Wood, with Parks and Joe Sanders), Ciniglio returns as leader for his Whirlwind debut, The Locomotive Suite, a set of compositions for sextet that combine a personal metaphor of resilience with snapshots of his formative familial influences. Barcelona- based Raynald Colom (trumpet), fellow Paris emigrée Matt Chalk (alto) and Matteo Pastorino (bass clarinet) take the frontline duties, with Frenchman Alexis Valet on vibraphone and rising star Felix Moseholm on double bass.

“It’s a straight metaphor,” says Ciniglio of the suite. “Every one of us should be our own locomotive, sturdy and reliable, because crazy times can come; if we don't react right away, and don't keep going, we're going to sink.” Composed for sextet, the collection began as reflections on the Ciniglio’s intense experiences of New York. They found another life in Paris and were recorded in May 2020 during one of the city’s brief lockdown respites, which saw the ensemble descend on the capital from all across Europe.

The suite is a collection of substantial, knotty harmonies, rhythmic shifts and spacious textures. But it also experiments internally, with chordal horn textures giving bass and vibraphone more melodic freedom. The unusual scoring is inspired by the soundworlds of Pat Metheny and Ben van Gelder, bridging the gap between music for large ensemble and harmonically focused trio music. Or, as Ciniglio puts it, it’s all about "finding an ensemble that’s not too big or small.”

The Locomotive Suite expands on that resilient ‘locomotive’ metaphor, coupled with ‘wagons’ – ‘personal experiences that nobody can take away from you’. The opener ‘Laura Martina’ is dedicated to Ciniglio’s late grandmother, a charismatic entertainer who helped raise him – a warm chorale sits above a pulsating drum texture. The darting rhythms of ‘Locomotive’ are the most closely related to train travel, but are actually derived from the Neapolitan tarantellas of his youth. Constructed in a series of windows, each new section is “a landscape which a train might pass through.” ‘Arlene’s March’ trots towards the Lower East Side and Arlene’s Grocery, famous for its hip-hop jam nights.

Three personal postcards follow (‘Capitano’ for his Dad, ‘Self-Made Man’ for his Neapolitan ‘Uncle’ who chased the American Dream, and ‘The Turtle’, a tender dedication to bassist Moseholm), followed by two darker pieces (‘Concern in the Background’ and ‘945 St Nicholas Avenue’), before the sweetly melancholic duet ‘Mon Ange’ aptly ends the album with, and in, love.

“This album is all about movement – getting a train here, marching there,” summarises Ciniglio. But it also reflects on people and places, and on the personal growth that helps make The Locomotive Suite a significant compositional statement.

1. Laura Martina

2. Loco-motive

3. Arlene's March

4. Capitano

5. Self-Made Man

6. The Turtle

7. Concern In The Background

8. 945 St. Nicholas Ave.

9. Mon Ange

Francesco Ciniglio - drums & composition

Raynald Colom - trumpet & flugelhorn

Matt Chalk - alto saxophone & arrangements

Matteo Pastorino - bass clarinet

Alexis Valet - vibraphone

Felix Moseholm - double bass

Recorded on July 5th & 6th 2020 at Studio Ferber, Paris

Mixed by Valentin Couineau & Dave Darlington

Mastered by Dave Darlington

Produced by Francesco Ciniglio

Liner Notes by Wynton Marsalis

Photography & Video by Audrey Radas

Graphic Design by Dave Bush & Audrey Radas

All Compositions by Francesco Ciniglio

Executive Producer - Michael Janisch

Pre-order