September 2009 - The Wholenote Magazine

September 10.EXTENDEDPLAY – JoëlleLéandreBy Ken WaxmanA masterful anddistinctive soloist,French bassist Joëlle Léandre is versatile inany musical situation. These impressive CDsshowcase her improvisational skills, whileelsewhere the conservatory-trained Parisian isas comfortable with notated music, often performingstudies written for her by composerssuch as John Cage and Giacinto Scelsi.One of the two CDs that make up JoëlleLéandre Live in Israel (Kadima KCR 17www.kadimacollective.com) verifies hersolo skill. This showcase includes exposition,theme variations and finale, without beingconventionally programmatic. Equally stridentand soothing, her string strokes includethick rhythmic scrubs and spiccato patterningthat produce not only initial tones, but alsocorresponding echoes. Lyrical and romanticon one hand, her harsh string sweeping alsoexpands with snaps, taps and banjo-like frailing.Sometimes she vocalizes as she plays,adding another dimension to the performance.Commanding on her own, she inserts herselfinto groups without fissure. In a sextet onthe companion CD featuring Israeli reedists,her triple-stopped advances lock in with thehorns’ contrapuntal key-slipping and trillspraying. Never upsetting balanced reedbites, her sul tasto expansions amplify thecrunching dynamics of pianist Daniel Sarid,while her wood-slapping pulse operates intandem with the flams and bounces of drummerHaggai Fershtman. In trio interactionwith bassist JC Jones and saxophonist StephenHorenstein, she lets the other bassisttime-keep with col legno stops, while shestring-snaps and pumps. Her bel canto warblingnot only adds another texture, but alsojoins in double counterpoint with the saxophonist’srubato tonguing.More reductive, Joëlle Léandre & WilliamParker Live at Dunois (Leo CD LR535 www.leorecords.com) captures a bravurashowcase for Léandre and Manhattan’sWilliam Parker, whose jazz-honed techniquesare as celebrated ashers. Performanceroles are defined:Parker thumps,walks and slaps hisbass in pedal point,while Léandre usesher bow to swirlrococo tincturesthat encompass agitated peaks and valleysof flying spiccato. This isn’t a brawl but anexpression of mutual respect. At points bothcombine strokes as polyphonic textures rappelevery which way. Reaching an intermezzo offloating concussion and friction, the two fuseas if they were playing an eight-stringed bass.Unbroken portamento runs echoing in doublecounterpoint, although each maintains individualidentity.As with the Stone Quartet in Guelph withwhom she performs this month, Léandre hasan affinity for brass and piano players. JoëlleLéandre-George Lewis Transatlantic Visions(RogueArt ROG-0020 www.roguart.com) and Joëlle Léandre & Quentin SirjacqOut of Nowhere(Ambiance MagnétiqueAM184www.actuellecd.com) confirm this.The first is a meetingbetween thebassist and AmericantrombonistMarketPlace: home, restaurant,catering, professional services Lewis, with whom she has worked for decades.Sirjacq is a French pianist she has justbegun to partner. Familiarity and novelty produceequivalently outstanding CDs. Chambermusic-like in its initial delicacy, her duet withthe pianist becomes intense as vibrating bassharmonies encourage Sirjacq to toughen hisoutput. Soon her jagged arpeggios and glissandiare met by metronomic pounding, keyfanning and internalstring plucking fromthe pianist. Anythingbut equal temperament,stoppedsoundboard buzzeson Ruin are joinedby church-bell-likegongs from Sirjacq,as Léandre doublesher sul ponticello bowing, while growlingnonsense syllables. In the penultimate Awakeningher quivering bowing is bisected by aflurry of kinetic key patterns. Finally Closingmates her flamenco-like rubs with his constructionof an edifice of expansive arpeggiosand cascading chording, reintroducing thetheme for musical closure.In contrast to the tentative exposition on“Out of Nowhere”, Léandre and Lewis arefully attuned from the get-go and stay thatway. Announcing herself with a gutturalsnarl, at points she vocalizes alongside herstring strokes. In addition to sweeping glissandiand staccato string-scouring, Léandreyowls as Lewis’ lows gutbucket tones. Inresponse to her sul tasto runs, the trombonistexposes rotund tones and rubato yelps. Ifhe showcases subterranean grace notes frominside his horn, she smacks the strings collegno. Sounding as if they could stretch theirinstruments’ tessitura indefinitely, they reacha climax at the half-way point as glottal stopsfrom Lewis are complemented by pumped September 1 - October 7, 2009 WWW.THEWHOLENOTE.COM 55