Aänet - Aquarian forest (Emouvance, 2008) ****

This French trio, with Rémi Charmasson on guitar, Stephan Oliva on piano, and Claude Tchamitchian on bass, is further completed by Finnish trombonist Jari Hongisto, who joined them on their trip to Finland where this album was also recorded. The music is avant-garde, boppish and chamber jazz-like, and the latter not only due to the absence of a percussive instrument, but also because of the intimacy of some of the tracks. Sometimes the three substyles are quite separate, as on the evocative avant-piece "Extérieur Nuit", that brings an eery impression of the forest at night, sometimes they are mixed, as in the wonderful closing piece "Jazz Pretext". Anyone who enjoyed Max Nagl's Big Four, will certainly like this track, which is bluesy, free and boppish.The other tracks bring great adventurous evocations of Finnish nature, with all four instruments remaining within the normal sound range of their instruments, but playing around with musical inventiveness, rapid interactions and some really interesting and expressive moments. Most of the tracks require some open-mindedness and appreciation of avant-garde, but some pieces will be without a doubt to everyone's taste. Recommended.

Listen to "Jazz Pretext"


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