Jean-Luc Cappozzo - Joy Spirit (Quark, 2009) ****

On this solo album, French trumpeter Jean-Luc Cappozzo brings hommage to musicians who left a lasting impression on him, either through several evenings of playing music together, or because of long friendships. The musicians are Bernard Prouteau, Frank Lowe, André Zemp, Paul Rutherford, Dizzy Gillespie, Jacky Barbier, Wallace Davenport, Alain Guérini, Mal Waldron, and Siegfried Kessler. His solo improvisations are made with those late musicians on his mind. The result is quite varied, in tone and in style, sometimes meditative, sometimes exuberant, often adventurous, but also bluesy, sometimes classical. Even if the musicians are deceased, his tribute to them is one of joy : for what they offered, for what they meant, for how they made you feel. This joy he expresses using all these different styles and techniques, with timbres that range from multiphonic screeches and growls to intonations of classical purity. On one piece, "Jacky Barbier", he even gives the impression to laugh in his horn, on "Mal Waldron" he alternates on his custom trumpet between muted and unmuted, giving the impression of overdub playing. As you hear, lots of variation, lots of ideas, and skills, but first of all, the joy of music.

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