Sebastian attended the 16th Jazzdor Festival in Berlin. A write-up of the first show is HERE. In this second piece he picks just a few highlights and themes (*) from the remainder of the festival…
Jazzdor Strasbourg-Berlin-Dresden, of which 2024 was the 16th edition, shows what the French system for supporting jazz/ improvising musicians does so brilliantly: it just keeps going. It is not just a conveyor belt of youth; it is about sticking with some great artists who are now into their late thirties or early forties, and continuing to work with them and to ensure they get the right opportunities.
That idea is completely embedded in the structure of the Jazzdor organisation, which has a mission “to support emerging talent and artistic risk-taking; long-term support for musicians’ careers…” (Direct quote from the job application to become Philippe Ochem’s successor at the head of Jazzdor.)
The generation born in the late 1970’s and 1980s has, above all, had the benefits of the national and regional (and departmental and city) structures ever since they were “emerging artists”, an initiative in which Jazzdor has always shown the way. They are now established, and are always worth hearing. Two such artists from that superb cohort were prominently featured ar this year’s festival. Each had a project at a different stage of fruition, and they were my twin highlights of year’s Jazzdor Berlin-Strasbourg Dresden.
Emile Parisien
The triumphal closing act on the fourth and last evening was a twentieth anniversary outing for the quartet of Emile Parisien (b 1982) with Julien Touéry, piano, Ivan Gélugne, double bass and Julien Loutelier, drums. A super gig. Parisien’s enthusiasm, energy and experience, and the fact that he is with a group of firm friends made for a very strong show. He is a natural story-teller. He took the trouble to prepare the audience for what they were about to hear and how the new project had evolved. The group has put together a little series of videos to explain the album Let Them Cook, which ACT brought out in February. (LINK). There is the kind of “complicity” that comes from a lot of gigging.
The top picture by Ulla C Binder shows his (still!) unstoppable and boyish enthusiasm. He told me in an interview a couple of years ago that when a new boarding school with jazz education at its core was about to open in Marciac, the (then ten year-old) Parisien told his parents in Cahors that he wanted to go there as part of the first cohort… so off he went… and never looked back… until the Marciac Festival invited him back again to be Artist in Residence in 2017.
I particularly enjoyed the humour of the composition “Pistache Cowboy” from the new album in which sudden long silences, the “leave” become a game with audience. I remember the Joshua Redman group did a composition called “Suspended Emanation” which also made most sense when seen live. Parisien is also working with processed sounds on this project, more or less for the first time, but it seems to fit in naturally.
Valentin Ceccaldi
The other group I was also captivated with was the band “Bonbon Flamme”. led by cellist Valentin Ceccaldi (b 1989) the younger brother of violinist Theo Ceccaldi. This is a relatively new quartet consisting of energetic drummer Etienne Ziemniak, guitarist Luis Lopes from Lisbon’s free/noise scene with De Beren Gieren’s Fulco Ottervanger on keyboards. They have done a first album, they were in Berlin for Jazzfest last autumn, but for this concert they gave the very first public performance of material for a new album on the BMC label, with the comic title “Calavaras Y Boom Boom Chupitos“. Valentin wants a group which will do extremes and contrasts and has certainly found it. What has affected his composing imagination is that Mexico, which he has visited, can simultaneously be so colourful and innocent… and also so extremely violent. Such contrast is everywhere in the new music. At this stage there was perhaps an impression of us as listeners being “landed” or “needle-dropped” into each new mood, but a few more performances in, and this band is going to be unbelievable.
ONJ/ Ex Machina
One of the big talking points at the festival was its biggest project, Steve Lehman with the ONJ. I know that one of the basic rules of reviewing is that you are supposed to write about the gig in front of you… but mentally I wasn’t really at this rather formal, often scientific party… My mind wandered and I couldn’t help thinking two things. The first was about the future: I am genuinely excited about what the incumbent Artistic and General Director of the orchestra, Sylvaine Helary will bring, and whether it might lead to an ONJ which the direction might be… warmer, more melodic, more humanly connected. The second thought was simple FOMO on another concert: according to a typically clear and thoughtful preview by Annie Yanbekian, the ONJ already had another imminent concert up its sleeve last week, celebrating the very great Martial Solal. Oh to have been there!
(*) Paul Acquaro has done a much more thorough concert-by-concert round-up for Free Jazz Blog HERE
