CD, стоящие на полке рядом : Jazz (Fusion)      

An odd reissue of sorts, Bending New Corners combines tracks off two of trumpeter Erik Truffaz's previous albums. It is unclear why Blue Note felt the need to repackage these tracks yet again; however, here they are and they are worth a listen. Containing tracks from the sessions that produced The Mask and its European version, The Dream, Bending New Corners is a groove-oriented work that draws heavily on late-'60s and early-'70s Miles Davis. To these ends, Truffaz is a forward-thinking improviser with a plangent tone and knack for writing funky, modal compositions. Adding to the hip quotient, rapper Nya guests on a few tracks, delivering a gruff, philosophical vibe that is more G. Love than G Unit. Recorded in 1999, the tracks seem more connected to the post-rock, jazz-rap movements of the '90s; in the post-2000 world they don't feel as cutting edge as Truffaz would probably like them to seem.

========= from the cover ==========

French trumpeter/composer Erik Truffaz' debut release for the United States, The Mask, represents a compilation of 11 hand-picked, original tunes selected from three previous recordings he's made for Blue Note since signing with EMI France in 1997. The recordings, Out of a Dream (1997), The Dawn (1998), and Bending New Corners (1999), feature Truffaz at the helm of his tight, yet agile and democratic quartet. The tunes, for the most part, have been collaboratively written by various combinations of the band members, and exhibit a daring, yet humble and honest mix of jazz, drum'n'bass, and hip-hop influences.

While the first release, Out of a Dream, has a more straight-ahead feel and contains Truffaz' compositions exclusively, on The Dawn and Bending New Corners, the group has entered new, uncharted territory musically speaking, and also in terms of reaching a new audience. "These two albums were influenced by our participation with a hip-hop group and electronic music," says Truffaz, who was a permanent guest at the Blue Note club in London from 1997 through 1999.

It was during this period that jungle music appeared with its characteristic trait of the drums and bass playing an accelerated reggae rhythm. "Machines played the rhythms, no one had added an instrument yet," says Truffaz. "I wondered what it would sound like if you played this style with acoustic drums and bass, and added melody."

The result was The Dawn. Here, Truffaz took the electronic music that had inspired him, shunned the computers that characterize the genre, and added his own melodies and harmonies while still retaining the spirit of drum'n'bass / jungle music. "I try to play what was played by computers but with an organic instrumentation: I don't want machines in my band, I prefer to stay flexible," Truffaz explains.

The success of The Dawn introduced Truffaz to a larger audience, while also achieving critical acclaim and commercial success throughout Europe. Since the release of Bending New Corners, the Erik Truffaz Quartet has played over 120 concerts a year, attracting an ever-growing audience from a wide diversity of cultures. "Every gig you do changes you," says Truffaz. "You learn something, you meet other people."

One of Erik's recent gigs was with American expatriate, pianis Kirk Lightsey who now resides

Paris. "I enjoy his playing and his point of view," says Lightsey "and we enjoy each other's magic. He has his own approach to music and writing; he's not trying to be Miles Davis. Erik creates an atmosphere, a place to be lost in. His music is involving. He has a warm sound. He's adaptable in a variety of settings."

The tunes on The Mask reflect the band's far flung travels, impressions and memories, as well as musical influences. "I love Chet Baker, Booker Little, Miles Davis and Paolo Fresu," says Truffaz who also cites Kenny Wheeler, Nils Peter Molvaer, and Tom Harrell as key influences on his composing. "Our other influences come from a lot of different music. From pop there's Jimi Hendrix, Bjork, The Police; the funk of Earth Wind and Fire; and from jazz there's Armstrong to Coltrane to Pat Metheny as well as old rock like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd."

The inspiration for the tunes on The Mask comes from a variety of sources. The beautiful "Betty," is a slow waltz. It is one of the few ballads that appear on the CD, and is the only composition written solely by Truffaz. "I wrote 'Betty' for the birth of a cousin. We were in Constance, Germany. It was February and the weather was really cold, 13 degrees below zero. We were staying behind a lake, and it was very romantic."

The raw drum'n'bass element shows up in tunes like "More" and "Less," which according to Truffaz, were based on group improvisation. "Minaret," a collaborative effort by the Quartet, evokes the plaintive cry of the call to prayer. "This is dedicated to the Muezzin," says Truffaz. "I love the sound of the Muezzin in a big city like Istanbul. It's magic, deep and mysterious."

The title track is a shadowy and spacious affair featuring Truffaz' horn casting teasing, delicate spells that interplay with the rhythm section. Instruments vanish and then reappear, like fugitives darting in and out from behind the trees in an enchanted forest. Written collaboratively by the group, "The Mask" was inspired by a childhood memory of Truffaz'. "I had a neighbor, Herve, who had a red mask. He would put on this mask and say, look at me, I am the other Herve.' I was sure at the time that he was two people living in the same body," says Truffaz.

In "The Dawn" with it's repeating bass line and dynamic drum groove creating an undulating rhythm that forms the foundation for evolving harmonies and horn lines, Truffaz shares with us his love affair with the new day. "The dawn is my favorite moment of the day; when we come back from a gig or when I wake up and walk in the mountains."

The mountains he is referring to are the Jura in Eastern France. The whole group hails from that region, and that is where Truffaz' story begins in the small town of Gex, ten miles from the French / Swiss border.

Born into a musical family, his father, a saxophonist, had his own dance band, so by the age of 10, Erik already had a steady gig playing trumpet. He continued playing in local bands and then, after being inspired by Miles Davis' Kind of Blue at 16, dug his heels in and headed off to Geneva where he began formal musical studies at the Geneva Conservatoire, studying composition, theory and technique.