Record Reviews

JACQUES KUBA SEGUIN ~ L`ELEVATION DU POINT DE CHUTE ODD SOUND 13 (Barcode: 701256999604) ~ CANADA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 - 2014 Released: 2014 This is the fourth album by Canadian (of Polish origin) Jazz trumpeter / composer Jacques Kuba SeguinFind albums by this artist, recorded with his sextet which features saxophonists Jean-Pierre ZanellaFind albums by this artist and Andre LerouxFind albums by this artist, pianist Jonathan CayerFind albums by this artist, bassist Frederic AlarieFind albums by this artist and drummer Kevin WarrenFind albums by this artist. Stanley PeanFind albums by this artist recites a text on one track. The album presents seven tracks, six of which were composed by Seguin and the remaining one was composed by the Canadian singer / songwriter Daniel BelangerFind albums by this artist. The music floats somewhere between contemporary Jazz and Jazz-Rock, although no electric, especially guitar, instruments (except for a bit of Wurlitzer piano) are employed. The compositions are pretty solid, diverse but focused, which makes this album a great improvement in comparison to its predecessor. Sequin does not solo extensively, which is fine sine he is not the strongest instrumentalist in his group, leaving the lead to other soloists. The rhythm section is very good, especially Alarie, who plays some exceptional funky beats and gives the entire music a kick. Overall this is quite an enjoyable piece of music, not ambitious and groundbreaking in any respect, but providing solid, entertaining music which can be enjoyed by a wide scope of Jazz listeners. With nice compositions and skillful arrangements this is definitely worth checking out.

Updated: 29/10/2019Posted:

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JACQUES KUBA SEGUIN ~ LITANIA PROJECT ODD SOUND ~ CANADA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2014 This is the third album by Canadian (of Polish origin) trumpeter / composer Jacques Kuba SeguinFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet lineup which features the Polish violinist Adam BaldychFind albums by this artist and Canadian musicians: pianist Jonathan CayerFind albums by this artist, bassist Frederic AlarieFind albums by this artist and drummer Kevin WarrenFind albums by this artist. They perform seven original compositions, five by Seguin and two by Baldych. Musically the material is all over the place; starting with an obvious wink towards the music of the legendary Polish Jazz trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist - the album´s title and opening track are dedicated to him - it moves towards contemporary Classical, Blues and Modern Jazz, but doest not sit really in place in any specific style, which sometimes works fine but in this case is just chaotic. There are some nice melodies, but overall the music simply goes nowhere. Even the two tunes by Baldych, who usually writes excellent music, in this case, although better than the rest, are still way below his usual standard. The performances are even more problematic. The trumpet and violin unisono sound is really dissonant and even painful at times, as if both are out of tune; as a result the combination of these two instruments is hard to swallow. Although all five musicians are highly skilled professionals, the overall result simply falls apart. There are problems with tempi, hesitation and basic lack of togetherness, which is essential in a small ensemble setting. Seguin and Baldych play several impressive solos, but those are hardly enough to save the day. Some of the a.m. problems might be the result of a very problematic recording sound quality, which is harsh and unpleasant, badly balanced and seriously damaging the listening experience. This is a classic example of an album which has a tremendous potential and turns out to be a failure. Good intentions don´t cut it this time.

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JACQUES KUBA SEGUIN ~ MIGRATIONS ODD SOUND 17 (Barcode: 722537609739) ~ CANADA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the fifth album by Canadian (of Polish origin) trumpeter / composer Jacques Kuba SeguinFind albums by this artist recorded in a sextet setting with saxophonist Yannick RieuFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Olivier SalazarFind albums by this artist, pianist Jean-Michel PilcFind albums by this artist, bassist Adrian VedadyFind albums by this artist and drummer Kevin WarrenFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven pieces, six of which are original compositions by Seguin. The music is all straightforward melodic mainstream Jazz, which flows smoothly without taking any risks. The tunes are all solid and the melodic themes coherent enough to create a pleasant listening experience. The choice of the vibraphone adds a nice touch to the overall sound of the sextet. The performances by the sextet members are all professional, as expected. The arrangements follow a standard fashion of individual one at a time soloing by the sextet members, although of course a sextet setting allows for a much more complex interplay between the four soloists than this album manages to offer. The album follows a pattern of contemporary American Jazz, which produces innumerable albums year after year all sounding almost identical, which makes one wonder at to their purpose in the general scheme of things? Overall this is a typically pleasant and easy on the ear mainstream Jazz, well played and offering some nice melodic contents, which does not demand much from the listener and should make lovers of such musical approach quite happy.

Updated: 01/11/2019Posted: 31/10/2019

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