Dupon T - Spider's Dance (Ultrabolic, 2007) ***

(Thank you Jean-François for bringing this album to my attention!)

A nice new CD by the French bass player Hubert Dupont, who expands his usual trio, consisting of Yvan Robilliard on piano and Chander Sardjoe on drums, with Rudresh Mahanthappa on alto sax. It's clear that Mahanthappa's unique phrasing on the alto colors this record, yet it is not comparable to his own albums or those with Vijay Iyer. The tone of Hubert Dupont's compositions is much lighter, and he falls back more easily on more classic jazz forms and rhythms, which does not mean that he takes the easy way out, quite the contrary. His music is accessible yet creative, with tight compositions yet open. Dupont rarely brings his bass to the frontline, with the exception of the few tracks where he gives the intro on arco : this is clearly a project where the musical composition get the entire focus, and the four musicians build something great around Dupont's music, with an elegant and refreshing result. Clearly a new voice and someone to follow.

Liste to:

Spiders
Mais Presque
Irid
Moundélé

The record can be downloaded via www.emusic.com.