Sylvie Courvoisier - Chimera

November 2, 2023

Label: Intakt Records, 2023

Personnel - Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet; Nate Wooley: trumpet; Christian Fennesz: guitar; Drew Gress: bass; Kenny Wollesen: drums, vibraphone.

On the heels of The Rite of Spring, a classical/improvised jazz piano hybrid recorded at four hands with Cory Smythe, Swiss-born pianist Sylvie Courvoisier releases the double-disc Chimera, inspired by the art of French Symbolist Odilon Redon. The stunning batch of new compositions is brought to life by a sextet comprised of her regular trio mates, bassist Drew Dress and drummer Kenny Wollesen, plus a powerful trumpet frontline with creatives Wadada Leo Smith and Nate Wooley, and Austrian guitarist Christian Fennesz providing unexpected atmospherics to the mix.

The music provides a deep sense of fantasy and reverie from where the group’s understated, sometimes esoteric side comes out. Melodies gently float above, ascending higher, and then landing on ambiguous realms. These can be lulling, descriptive, and hypnotic until the group pulls the rug out with brief blasts of avant-garde jazz. The opener, “Le Pavot Rouge”, sets the tone, introduced by beautiful bass playing before pulsing with a world music-inspired disposition. Intermittent distorted guitar chords immersed in reverb and other ethereal effects intermingle with the piano riff, while the trumpeters complement each other with undisturbed lines and high-pitched moans. The second half of the piece, which spans over 21 minutes, itakes on a darker and more mysterious tone without losing its fragility or pathos. It ultimately concludes with the same amiable sense of hope that it began with.

The fluidity of “Partout Des Prunelles Flamboient” is a marvel. This track, titled after Redon’s 1988 lithograph, takes a more jazz-oriented approach, bringing together electronic noise, tonal fusion with Eric Dolphy-esque angularity on top, and sudden rhythmic shifts that enliven a texture already packed with mesmerizing psychedelic irruptions. It lives in the borderlands between the dreamy and the boisterous. In turn, “La Joubarbe Aragaineuse” remains cold and static in its suspended state of cinematic expression.

The second disc opens with the 14-minute "La Chimère aux Yeux Verts", an ambient soundscape that incorporates Keith Jarrett-esque folk-jazz piano elements and a propulsive backbeat at its core. Double trumpet interjections sometimes align, but Smith and Wooley showcase the unique qualities of their sounds, scattering chimeric chains and fragments of melody over tense low-pitched piano explosions and otherworldly guitar smears. The album concludes with "Le Sabot de Venus", avoiding sinister developments and leaving the listener with a sense that a profound journey has taken place.

Courvoisier demonstrates her ability for transformation in these long, slowly evolving pieces that continue to intrigue with their trance-like quality upon each listen.

Favorite Tracks:
01 (CD1) - Le Pavot Rouge ► 03 (CD1) - Partout Des Prunelles Flamboient ► 01 (CD2) - La Chimère aux Yeux Verts

Sylvie Courvoisier & Cory Smythe - The Rite of Spring / Spectre d'un Songe

June 5, 2023

Label: Pyroclastic Records, 2023

Personnel - Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Cory Smythe: piano.

This collaboration between Sylvie Courvoisier and Cory Smythe - two visionary pianists and improvisers - is a true knockout. A voyage of discovery that groups the challenging classical masterwork of Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring (it was composed in 1913, based on Pagan myths), and Courvoisier’s lavish contemporary response to that work, titled Spectre D’un Songe. Brilliantly articulated, the immaculate four-hand pianism results in a vertiginous music that embraces bitonality with high-quality reinvention.

Stravinsky’s movements split into two spectacular parts - “The Adoration of the Earth” and “The Sacrifice” - the last of which being more restrained in tone but pivoting into a vigorous if cinematic interplay that is simultaneously precise and adventurous in its locomotions. The volatile first part departs from an initial motif to plunge into pedal-like grooves that sound like speedy trains, while other times it visually emulates a feather spinning in the air under a spring breeze. With each section conveying passion and mystery, this is a pleasantly surprising work that illustrates the full range and capabilities of Courvoisier and Smythe’s technique at the keyboard.

Clocking in at nearly half-an-hour, “Spectre d’un Songe” flows within an eerie atmosphere. Arpeggiated maneuvers create paradoxes of different magnitudes; patterned cascades of sound (including prepared piano) allow polyrhythmic probings engraved by sudden low-pitched strokes that wake us up from a hypnotic state of reverie; and profuse harmonic cycles invite free improvisation as well as rich timbres and undaunted intervals to linger on.

Both pianists know their roles in this progressive, symphonic opus, blending their elements to perfection. This is a deeply musical experience and a must-have album for both avant-garde and contemporary classical devotees.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Rite of Spring Part I: The Adoration of the Earth ► 03 - Spectre D’un Songe

Sylvie Courvoisier / Mary Halvorson - Searching For the Disappeared Hour

October 28, 2021

Label: Pyroclastic Records, 2021

Personnel - Mary Halvorson: guitar; Sylvie Courvoisier: piano.

Displaying seriously brilliant musicianship, guitarist Mary Halvorson and pianist Sylvie Courvoisier are two singular voices united in a powerful duo to explore notions of time. The result of their collaboration is Searching For the Disappeared Hour, a record that reflects the colorful sounds and inventive textures that populate their minds.

Three of the twelve tracks are credited to the duo, including “Four-Point Interplay”, where the prepared piano takes a percussive role and the ruminative guitar threatens to morph into indie rock behavior.

Albeit catchy, the cited tune can’t be compared in terms of sonic pleasure with Halvorson’s “Golden Proportion” and Courvoisier’s “Lulu’s Second Theorem”. The former - a collage of vignettes with an Erik Satie feel - opens the record by enlacing classical and avant-jazz ambiances through dissonant, pitch-distorted guitar in strategic balance with the ebbs and flows of the piano; in turn, the latter song grooves with highly rhythmic ostinatos, odd-metered passages and expeditious melodic anatomies before shifting halfway to more reflective and abstract zones.

Two other Courvoisier compositions had an incredibly positive effect on me. One of them is “Moonbow”, which, after being playfully set in motion, segues into a serene 4/4 pop progression whose textural base is alternately provided by each musician. After that, we have a more accelerated section where the guitar whoops with timbres that recall slot machines, video games and robotic language. The other song is “Mind Out of Time”, a poignant, dark aural experience that seems to want to unravel secrets in the depths of our souls. By the end, compelling unison lines are briefly incorporated without losing a bit of the texture.

Halvorson penned “Bent Yellow”, a bluesy plunge that feels bold in the interaction, angular in the theme and resolute in the proceedings, as well as “Gates & Passes”, a sad, shimmering ballad sunk in a myriad of interesting effects.

The guitar playing and pianism of these amazing musicians are so rich and satisfying that the album catches our senses with striking assurance.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Golden Proportion ► 02 - Lulu’s Second Theorem ► 07 - Mind Out of Time

Sylvie Courvoisier Trio - Free Hoops

September 16, 2020

Label: Intakt Records, 2020

Personnel - Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Kenny Wollesen: drums.

Explorative pianist/composer Sylvie Courvoisier has been a model of excellence in the avant-garde jazz panorama since the mid 1990’s. Her affinity for complex rhythmic interlocking and innovative ideas are patented on Free Hoops, a new trio effort with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Kenny Wollesen. On the same vein of the brilliant D’Agala (Intakt, 2018), the tunes on Free Hoops arrive in the form of dedications to family, longtime friends and musical influences.

The title cut, composed for her husband - the violinist Mark Feldman - makes for an irresistible starting point. The off-kilter harmonic splendor is embedded in the right places while the intricate phrasing is occasionally embellished with motivic chromatic shifts. Despite atypical, the rhythmic drive provided by bass and drums sound incredibly natural as a consequence of Gress’ deft combination of slides and plucks, and Wollesen’s apt responsiveness and remarkable musicianship.

“Lulu Dance” is set in motion by an accessible, if somewhat trippy progression that gains heft as soon as jolts of energetic drum sounds start to stir its constant rhythmic flux. A contemplative middle section, also more overt and ambiguous, explores tonal colors within a spontaneous sound design. This is before fast percussive piano incursions on the lower register signals the trio to reinstate the earliest dance from which everything flowed out.

The threesome goes full force into another kind of dance on “Just Twisted”, which was penned for the groundbreaking saxophonist/composer John Zorn. Initially oscillating between vehement and graceful, the ambiance incorporates gently sweeping piano riffery, stunning percussive textures carried out with Wollesonic techniques, and bass pedal points. But then, they push the pedal to the metal, provoking agitation through vortical piano spirals that overflies a dazzling swing-like rhythm in nine.

In direct contrast to this mood, “Galore” nurtures composed yet still suspenseful moments with proficient alternation of arco and pizzicato bass techniques. This intriguing mood serves as a launching pad for an engagingly torpid rhythm predominantly built with snare drum and hi-hat. Dedicated to Wollesen, this piece, at particular times, puts on show the bassist and the pianist strutting around the pulse in tandem.

Courvoisier contemplated more family in her dedications, and if “As We Are”, approached from a Monk-inspired angle through a central riff that often repeats, was written for her mother; “Nicotine Sarcoline” gifts her brother Stephane as she puts a bounce in the impetuosity and pointedness of her glorious avant-gardism.

Liberating and extending the possibilities of form and improvisation, Courvoisier shows off an acute, borderless inside/outside sensibility that creates a spellbinding effect. Her labyrinthine, sensuous and powerful lines sound like no one else.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Free Hoops ► 03 - Just Twisted ► 08 - Nicotine Sarcoline

Sylvie Courvoisier Trio - D'Agala

January 18, 2018

Label: Intakt Records, 2018

Lineup - Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Drew Dress: double bass; Kenny Wollesen: drums and percussion.

Swiss-born, Brooklyn-based Sylvie Courvoisier is an outstanding pianist whose style falls under the avant-garde and free improvisation. She recurrently performs in duo and trio formats with names such as Mark Feldman, Ikue Mori, Evan Parker, Erik Friedlander, Nate Wooley, and more recently Mary Halvorson.
On D’Agala, her eleventh record for Intakt, Courvoisier dedicates the nine originals to people (musicians or not) she admires and was influenced by. Her textures find sustenance in the effortless rhythmic work delivered by two long-time associates, bassist Drew Dress and drummer Kenny Wollesen. The trio had already teamed up before on the pianist’s Double Windsor (Tzadik, 2014).

“Imprint Double" (For Antoine Courvoisier), a piece with an irresistibly galloping pulsation that allures and transfixes, was love at first listen. The work of the pianist is remarkable, not only on the lower register, from where the main rhythmic force arrives, but also while designing the main statement with scientific precision. After the stimulating ecstasy of the first minutes, the trio embarks on a meditative journey that includes a bass solo over demure ambiances coordinated by the bandleader. Comfortably striding the keyboard from end to end, she adorns with dreamy classical progressions, occasional atonal scintillations, and subtle crescendos, before repossessing that initial throbbing cadence.

An unfettered funky groove laid down by the bassist and corroborated by the drummer establishes the foundation of “Bourgeois’s Spider" (For Louise Bourgeois). Here, Courvoisier goes for more sound exploration, employing prepared piano and string piano techniques. Sometimes massive and turbulent, the tune feels energetically compressed, never eschewing the groove, but fluctuating between the explosive, the tense, and the untroubled.

The vivid “Éclats for Ornette" (For Ornette Coleman) is a worthy stretch fueled by intricate melodies over a swinging flow, frequently interrupted by aesthetic rhythmic accentuations. Following the pianist, who delivers an infectious marriage of angularity and exuberance, Wollesen makes his refined chops shining.

“Pierino Porcospino" (For Charlie) and “D’Agala" (for Geri Allen) have nothing but a bass solo in common. While the former is an extrovert hectic dance, the latter was penned with mournful introspection, having Wollesen’s subdued rattlings and creaks running in the background.

“Fly Whisk" (For Irene Schweizer) starts off with widely sparse phrases uttered timidly on the piano. They are the beginning of a story that also leans on shimmering brushes and hummed arco bass to compose the whole. As the time advances, the pianist rushes her narrative by intensifying the conversational flow, while the bassist veers to a restless pizzicato with occasional pedal sustains, having the encouragement of several sly twists put up by the drummer.

The trio warmed my heart with “South Side Rules" (For John Abercrombie), where Gress shows off a sterling control of his instrument through incisive, full-bodied plucks that have in Wollesen’s tasteful cymbal work a faithful ally. On one hand, Courvoisier infuses some obscurity with low-pitched strikes enforced by her left hand, but illuminates on the other, as intriguing harmonies and clear-sighted melodic lines are appended. Driven by true emotion, this piece exudes sadness, yearning, and exultation.

D’Agala maintains a strong bite throughout and comes dressed with ingratiating sonorities that are a joy to explore. Much more can be said about it, but the best thing to do is to let the music spin, so it can speak for itself.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Imprint Double ► 03 - Éclats for Ornette ► 09 - South Side Rules

Corsano / Courvoisier / Wooley - Salt Task

April 10, 2017

Label/year: Relative Pitch Records, 2016

Lineup - Chris Corsano: percussion; Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Nate Wooley: trumpet.

Drummer Chris Corsano, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, and trumpeter Nate Wooley are three inveterate improvisers who joined forces in Salt Task, another hallucinating trip into arduous avant-garde galaxies.

All the members of the trio have been very active lately, participating in a variety of recordings and performing live with regularity. The versatile Corsano, whose collaborations can range from Bjork to Evan Parker, is a member of the powerhouse quartet led by the Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado, which also features American saxophonist Joe McPhee and bassist Kent Kessler. Besides recording with the avant-rock trio Rangda, he keeps on teaming up with saxophonist Paul Flaherty, a longtime collaborator.

Wooley launched great records in duo with multi-reedist Ken Vandermark and released Argonautica (Firehouse 12 Records, 2016) with a hot sextet that includes cornetist Ron Miles, pianist Cory Smythe, keyboardist Jozef Dumoulin, and drummers Rudy Royston and Devin Gray.
Last year, Courvoisier put all her musical passion in Miller’s Tales (Relative Pitch, 2016), an avant-jazz delight cooked in partnership with her violinist husband Mark Feldman and featuring saxophonist Evan Parker and electronics wiz Ikue Mori. This year, she could be heard in Crop Circle (Relative Pitch), recorded in duo with the nonconformist guitar sensation Mary Halvorson.

Salt Task opens with the revolutionary title track, a 20-minute-piece that erupts with dense contrapuntal cogitations simultaneously driven by the trio. After the opening section, the musicians usually interact two by two, exploring different sonic possibilities and moods until reaching the final section, where the trio strikes again. Depending on the setting, one may float serenely over idyllic landscapes, march at the sound of a military trumpet, startle with ominous low-pitched piano vibes, revolve around cyclic ideas, or become energized through piano-drums sweeps and thunders.

Eminently percussive, “Last Stat” displays extra alternative textures with Corsano in the spotlight. He reproduces the sound of a plastic trashcan rolling down the street while Courvoisier strums the piano strings to make it sound like a stale harp. Wooley contributes with airy sounds and rapid attacks that often uncover playful melodies.

“Tall Stalks” conveys admiration through Wooley’s muted phrases on top of Corsano’s combustible rhythm flows and Courvoisier’s unflagging textures. She creates tension by continually hitting the same key with her left hand.

The gently atmospheric “Stalled Talks” finishes the album with a circumspect narrative flow, probing techniques of meditation that feel intense on one side and tranquilizing on the other.

The inventive trio wisely plays with textural agitations and composures, arranging them with freedom, responsibility, and an evident musical insight that makes them first-rate avant-gardists.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Last Stat ►03 – Tall Stalks