François Couturier & Dominique Pifarély - Preludes and Songs (ECM, 2025)

By Don Phipps

On their album Preludes and Songs, pianist François Couturier and violinist Dominique Pifarély create abstract tone poems which draw from jazz standards, Romantic music – especially Chopin and Schumann, the impressionism of Ravel, and mildly dissonant music. While highly formalized, the pieces have emotional heft that speak to intimate contemplation as much as they do to warm summer evenings watching fireflies dance about.

Take “La chanson des vieux amants.” Couturier caresses the keys in a gentle dance. Then Pifarély enters. His choice of notes feels troubled and restless atop the slightly ominous piano pedal-depressed ostinato. “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley/Les ombres II” juxtaposes the 1940s ballad by Manning Sherwin and Reick Maschwitz with Pifarély’s own bleak and gray composition, “Les ombres II.” The stark violin lines herein contain a smidgeon of folk atmospherics, but with “Nightengale,” Pifarély’s approach changes abruptly to a bluesy homage in Stéphane Grappelli fashion. The music returns to abstraction, with Couturier’s rambling and rolling improv both probing and introspective.

This combination of modernism and bluesy standards is touched upon again in other tracks. Take “Les ombres I / Lament,” which combines Pifarély’s composition with a 1955 jazz standard, this time “Lament,” composed by trombonist J.J. Johnson and lyricist Jon Hendricks. Here Pifarély demonstrates his ability to generate flowing architecture with breaks for long legato notes that seem suspended in air. The chordal structures fashion intimacy that, when Couturier takes over, become almost spiritual. His soft touch on the keys is both lyrical and profound. Pifarély rejoins, his touch also light and radiant. It seems to float above the ballerina-like expressions of Couturier’s wandering piano.

One of the best tracks is Pifarély’s “Vague.” The languid recitation is absorbing, like a dimly lit room – where the eyes try to discern contours that are present but not highly visible. And one would be remiss not to recommend the album’s highlight – a masterful rendition of Gershwin’s “I loves you Porgy.” Here, Couturier is able to craft sumptuous beauty, his piano whimsy joined by Pifarély’s climbing legato phrases. When the duo reaches the harmonics of the song theme, Pifarély gets dreamily romantic but adds moments of fleeting dissonance above the piano chords. Couturier finishes the ballad – his solo peaceful, emphasizing light touches and gentle blues.

It should be noted that this album is definitely not for free jazz purists. But for those looking for a safe harbor amidst the tumult, a place to reflect or meditate on past romance, this modern rework of ballads and penetrating originals would offer such a solace. Just make sure to close the blinds and breathe deeply.