Album “Impressions”
“Impressions”, John Coltrane's spiritual composition, has always been one of my great inspirations. Quite organically, my 12th album in 2022 was born as a tribute to this masterpiece.
I asked myself how I could pay tribute to this repertoire, and make it my own. By adding the sound of harp strings in the wind, which I called the Aeolian harp. By writing and arranging for a string quartet. By introducing a new rhythm section - drums, piano, accordion... and electronics - an innovative touch to the soundscape.
This is how the concept was born, as a tribute to the Impressionist art movement: Marie Cassat's “The boating party”, which I was lucky enough to see at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC; Ravel's “Forlane”, which Johan Renard arranged in 5/4 (instead of 6/4); or a Tango, inspired by Piazzola, a student of Nadia Boulanger. The compositional process took place in the continuity of all these inspirations, keeping this dreamlike theme as its sole compass, right up to the improvised parts of the record, which were intended to reconnect with the spontaneity of jazz.
“Impressions” is a poetic ode to life, and I'm honored to open this new chapter with you.