PIERRICK PÉDRON — Cheerleaders (2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Celebrated in France, here the new jazz promise: original and surprising, alto saxophonist Pierrick Pédron dances between the genres. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Esox-Lucius    6:22
2    The Cloud    6:40
3    Miss Falk's Dog    4:15
4    The Mists Of Time    3:21
5    Nonagon's Dance    4:12
6    2010 White Boots    7:13
7    The Cheerleader's NDE    6:17
8    Coupe 3    6:27
9    Toshiko    6:10
Credits:
Pierrcik Pédron -Alto Saxophone
Chris De Pauw - Guitar
Laurent Coq - Piano, Keyboards
Vincent Artaud - Bass
Franck Agulhon & Fabrice Moreau - Drums
and others

TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON | ADAM ROGERS | JIMMY HASLIP | GREG OSBY — Structure (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The combination of Greg Osby with Terri Lyne Carrington is quite logical. Altoist Osby, an original innovator with the M-Base movement (which explored free-form funk) has a very original improvising style. Since Carrington has always loved funk, as has electric bassist Jimmy Haslip (of the Yellowjackets), this match-up works quite well. Osby's interplay with guitarist Adam Rogers is also a major plus. Other than a Joni Mitchell piece ("Ethiopia") that the drummer sings, the repertoire is comprised of group originals. Whether it be overt funky pieces, brooding ballads or the well-titled "Fire," the music is explorative, unpredictable and usually grooving. Well worth exploring by fans of creative funk/jazz. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Mindful Intent 5:31
Composed By – Terri Lyne Carrington
2    Black Halo 6:25
Composed By – Greg Osby
3    Ethiopia 6:18
Composed By – Joni Mitchell
4    The Invisible 6:22
Composed By – Adam Rogers
5    Spiral 6:22
Composed By – Jimmy Haslip
6    Facets Squared 4:30
Composed By – Greg Osby
7    Solace 5:22
Composed By – Terri Lyne Carrington
8    Fire 8:31
Composed By – Ed Barguiarena, Terri Lyne Carrington
9    Omega 5:19
Composed By – Jimmy Haslip
10    Columbus, Ohio 4:47
Composed By – Adam Rogers
Credits:
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Adam Rogers
Alto Saxophone – Greg Osby
Bass – Jimmy Haslip
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Terri Lyne Carrington

VINCENT PEIRANI — Living Being (2015) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Suite En V Part 4    2:12
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
2        Suite En V Part 1 5:51
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
Voice – Vincent Peirani
3    Dream Brother 6:28
Composed By – Jeff Buckley
4    Mutinerie 7:52
Composed By – Michel Portal
5    On The Heights 6:57
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
Tenor Saxophone – Emile Parisien
6    Air Song #2    4:24
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
7    Some Monk    8:52
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
8    Workin' Rhythm    4:43
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
9    Miniature    2:55
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
Credits:
Accordion, Liner Notes – Vincent Peirani
Cover [Cover Art By] – Manfred Bockelmann
Drums – Yoann Serra
Electric Bass, Effects – Julien Herné
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Effects – Tony Paeleman
Soprano Saxophone – Emile Parisien

VINCENT PEIRANI — Living Being II 'Night Walker (2015) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Vincent Peirani is a jazz musician who is equally at home in world music, or classical music, chanson or pop. Yet what the listener will hear from his new album is that he has transformed the accordion into the baddest of rock 'n' roll axes. On “Night Walker” the Frenchman shines. His quintet with extensive experience of playing together produces fiery Led Zeppelin covers and has a sound that not only crosses genres but is also completely unique.

The accordionist and composer is celebrated throughout Europe, something that was already the case before he made his debut as leader with the 2013 album “Thrill Box” - Peirani was winning prizes in France as a teenager. Later he earned the title “Artist of the Year” from “Jazz Magazine”, and has received a German ECHO Jazz award four times, most recently in 2016 for his highly acclaimed duo album “Tandem” with pianist Michael Wollny. At the beginning of 2015 the “once-in-a-century talent” (Fono Forum) released his first work with a new quintet “Living Being”, the same title being used for both the band and their album. The members are Emile Parisien, saxophone, Tony Paeleman, keyboards, Julien Herné, electric bass & guitar, Yoann Serra, drums. “We were friends long before we started playing together,” says Peirani, “This band feels like family.”

This special family has now recorded a triumphal second album: “Living Being II - Night Walker”. The Roman numerals look back to Led Zeppelin: “'Led Zeppelin I',' Led Zeppelin II' and so on...” says Peirani. “I liked that. This album also means a kind of upgrade: new music, new direction, and a new identity.”

Recorded in just four days in March 2017 in Brussels, “Night Walker” shows the quintet channelling its energies even more powerfully and consistently. The mix by sound engineer Boris Darley took several months of experimentation to get it right. As Peirani says,” it was like being in a musical laboratory.” Whether seen from a jazz or a pop perspective, the combination of instruments is unique.

In fact, all of the melody instruments in Living Being are created equal: Tony Paeleman's rich Fender Rhodes, sometimes earth-shuddering, sometimes feathery and light-heartedly jubilant; Emile Parisien's bright soprano saxophone – the tenor stayed in its case this time – and of course the wonderfully varied accordion of the Peirani. Unlike his previous album, the leader hardly ever puts himself in the foreground.

“This album is more of a collective trip,” explains Peirani. “The accordion is even less at the centre. It is only if you were to remove it that you would realize quite how much has suddenly gone missing.” The art of Vincent Peirani is to play rhythmically and at the service of the tune, adding layers to each piece, as others could only attempt with a vast array of keyboards. The melancholy of chanson, the elegance of classical music, the sheer power of rock – Peirani’s virtuosity pulls them all together.

Living Being take a kid-glove approach as they start off the album; the quintet plays Sonny Bono's “Bang Bang”, immortalized by Nancy Sinatra, with the tenderest possible feel, giving this cover a completely new lightness.

On “Enzo”, which starts with mellifluous charm, Peirani plays the accordina – similar to a melodica – and bassist Herné can be heard on the guitar for the first time. Peirani's powerful version of the aria “What Power Art Thou” by the English composer Henry Purcell, from the 1691 opera “King Arthur”, preserves the triumphal power of the original, yet could hardly be further removed.

The pivotal point of the album is the three-section “Kashmir To Heaven”, which references the two songs of the legendary hard rock band Led Zeppelin that are the probably the best known. The energy levels in the band, as it carefully builds this mini-suite, are quite staggering. Living Being remains true to the vibe of the originals but with a completely different instrumentation: there isn't a guitar in sight.

Peirani explains that the choice of songs to cover reflects his own preferences: “Many years ago I had a solo project mixing the songs of Deep Purple and Rage Against The Machine. Those songs of the seventies have always fascinated me, and everyone in the band loves Led Zeppelin. Their songs contain so much nourishing material for us - we all really enjoy sinking our teeth into it!”

When Vincent Peirani says his band wants to be a 'chamber rock music orchestra', it may sound like “Rock meets Classic” bombast. But Living Being, this powerful beast of a jazz band, is exactly the opposite. It is a supple little animal that moves elegantly on any terrain without ever leaving the path, but can grow into a muscular carnivore at any time. “Living Being II - Night Walker” is the proof – it's the both the most delicate and the most powerful album of the year. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Bang Bang 3:26
Composed By – Sonny Bono
2    Enzo 4:29
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
3    Le Clown Sauveur De La Fete Foraine 2:43
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
4    What Power Art Thou 5:55
Composed By – Henry Purcell
Kashmir To Heaven    
5    I Opening 3:52
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
6    II Kashmir 5:41
Composed By – Page, Plant, Bonham
7    III Stairway To Heaven 3:26
Composed By – Plant, Page
8    Night Walker 6:55
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
9    K2000 1:42
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
10    Falling 4:40
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
11    Unknown Chemistry 6:15
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
12    Smoke & Mirrors 4:42
Composed By – Vincent Peirani
Credits:
Accordion, Melodica [Accordina], Voice – Vincent Peirani
Artwork [Cover] – Olafur Eliasson
Drums – Yoann Serra
Electric Bass, Electric Guitar – Julien Herné
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Keyboards – Tony Paeleman
Electronics – Valentin Liechti (tracks: 12)
Soprano Saxophone – Emile Parisien

YARON HERMAN TRIO — Follow the white Rabbit (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue) lossless

Yaron Herman blends elements of jazz, classical, and the music of his native Israel in this intriguing trio session with bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Tommy Crane. The trio's delicious opener is "Follow the White Rabbit," which makes deft use of repeated riffs and often seems inspired by Keith Jarrett's trio recordings. His tense "Saturn Returns" defies categorization, as it freely draws from many diverse styles. Herman's solo piano vehicle "Cadenza" is dramatic with classical overtones, yet it sounds as if it were improvised on the spot in the studio. While there are no standards, Herman's inspired choice and tender interpretation of the neglected gem "Baby Mine" -- written by Frank Churchill and Ned Washington for the Disney film Dumbo -- will likely provoke others to seek overlooked tunes from other Disney musicals. Like many musicians of his generation, Herman is open to exploring rock as well. He has some success interpreting Radiohead's lyrical "No Surprises," though the repetitious nature of the late Kurt Cobain's "Heart Shaped Box" keeps it from reaching a similar peak, in spite of the pianist's best efforts. Recommended. Ken Dryden

"Supreme musicality and a radically new gesture: Yaron Herman is definitely one to be reckoned with in the years to come." (Süddeutsche Zeitung) ACT
Tracklist :
1    Follow The White Rabbit 3:21
Written-By – Tordini, Crane, Herman
2    Saturn Returns    7:43
Written-By – Yaron Herman
3    Trylon    5:09
Written-By – Yaron Herman
4    Heart Shaped Box 4:38
Written-By – K. Cobain
5    Ein Gedi 6:01
Written-By – D. Aharoni
6    The Mountain In G Minor    6:20
Written-By – Yaron Herman
7    Cadenza    3:15
Written-By – Yaron Herman
8    Airlines    5:24
Written-By – Yaron Herman
9    Aladins Psychedelic Lamp    2:39
Written-By – Yaron Herman
10    Baby Mine 4:27
Written-By – F. Churchill
11    White Rabbit Robot 1:27
Written-By – Tordini, Crane, Herman
12    Clusterphobic    5:48
Written-By – Yaron Herman
13    Wonderland    0:52
Written-By – Yaron Herman
14    No Surprises 2:56
Written-By – Radiohead
Credits:
Design [Concept] – Siggi Loch
Double Bass – Chris Tordini
Drums – Tommy Crane
Piano – Yaron Herman