Label: Self released, 2023
Personnel - Jean-Marc Hébert: guitar; Lex French: trumpet; Morgan Moore: bass; Pierre Tanguay: drums.
Canadian guitarist Jean-Marc Hébert infuses his compositions with a strong emphasis on ambitious interplay and cohesiveness of sound. His third album as a leader, L’Origine Éclatée, follows the previous releases L’Autre (2007) and L’Attente (2018). For this new endeavor, he collaborates with the mellifluous New Zealander trumpeter Lex French, bassist Morgan Moore, and his longtime associate, drummer Pierre Tanguay. Together, they explore subtle sonic spaces that may bridge the realms of contemporary jazz and world music.
“La Déteinte” provides a meditative emotional template, with the group diving into a vast sea of tranquility. This setting foreshadows the epic proportions the modal piece could reach if played in the style of McCoy Tyner. However, what we hear is more aligned with North European jazz and the ECM sound. Moore provides a fluid solo over the ethereal, slowcore style of jazz that emerges, anchoring the piece with Hebert's well-paced arpeggios. The title cut, “L’Origine Éclatée”, follows, bathing in a slow 4/4 time signature and exploring thematic and melodic elements that leave an agreeable impact. The spotlight shines on French whose muted trumpetism favors straightforward, well-delineated melodies over acrobatics. His approach moderately shifts as he ventures more outside on “Séquence Mouvante”, where solid harmonic passages evoke profound emotion, and a refined rock-laden rhythmic foundation is laid down. Hébert delivers a thoughtful guitar statement atop this backdrop.
Both “Terre Rouge” and “L’Attente” incorporate world sounds influences. The former, presented in the trio format with guitar, bass, and drums, exudes a gentle African groove, painting a hot, arid, and bucolic landscape through the rhythm. The latter, originally featured on the album of the same name, embraces a strong Eastern ambiance and is cooked up patiently with a perfect balance between relaxation and tension. The album comes to a close with “Sud-Ouest”, a country-rock song in 3/4 time.
The group never strays too far into experimental territory, opting instead for a low-key approach that keeps everything well within context. Nevertheless, this offering is more than just passive backdrops with beautiful melodies atop. Hebert’s music is consistently warm, melodic, and easy to assimilate, and the accompanying musicians, recognizing this, bring their inherent lyricism to the forefront with positive outcomes.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - La Déteinte ► 03 - Séquence Mouvante ► 05 - L’Attente