The "invisible stream," writes saxophonist-composer Raphaël Imbert, "refers to that 'unseen current' that connects people, artist, improvisers, musicians, while transcending aesthetic and cultural boundaries." It is a concept general enough to apply to many recitals, but Imbert and a trio consisting of cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, pianist Pierre-François Blanchard, and percussionist Sonny Troupé realize it here with unusual depth. Imbert and Troupé, who is from Guadeloupe, both have jazz backgrounds, and Imbert's ...
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The "invisible stream," writes saxophonist-composer Raphaël Imbert, "refers to that 'unseen current' that connects people, artist, improvisers, musicians, while transcending aesthetic and cultural boundaries." It is a concept general enough to apply to many recitals, but Imbert and a trio consisting of cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, pianist Pierre-François Blanchard, and percussionist Sonny Troupé realize it here with unusual depth. Imbert and Troupé, who is from Guadeloupe, both have jazz backgrounds, and Imbert's compositions draw on jazz. However, the linkages are strengthened by the presence of 19th and 20th century songs, specifically German, that tie into a nostalgic mood in Imbert's works. The mood is strongest in the opening Akim's Spirit, a tribute to a deceased mountain climber that is the only multi-movement work on the program. It is substantial enough to provide momentum running through music by composers as diverse as Ornette Coleman and Richard Wagner (who, it must be said, might not have been crazy to find himself in such surroundings). The program doesn't have an effect of novelty; rather, it weaves a spell that deepens as it proceeds, and the whole project offers an engrossing hour of chamber music that brings the careers of all involved into new territories. ~ James Manheim, Rovi
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