Louis Sclavis

Somewhat of a misnomer since none of the tunes composed by clarinetist Louis Sclavis for this CD have any Carnatic or Hindustani echoes. However they serve as appropriate vehicles to show off his working quintet. Sclavis, who has played  with everyone from Naïssam Jalal to Tom Rainey, has maintained this band for about a decade now adding trumpeter Olivier Laisney, who often works with Alban Darche. Bassist Sarah Murcia, drummer Christophe Lavergne and pianist Benjamin Moussay work as a unit when not busy in other Gallic configurations.

What that means is that most of the nine tracks now depend on contrapuntal expressions that link Sclavis’ regular clarinet’s horizontal breaths or descending smears from the bass clarinet  with the trumpeter’s studied portamento or speedy triplets. This often takes the form of sudden brassiness that subvert clarion twitters as on “Madras Song”, which also feature Moussay’s responsive dynamics.

Elsewhere the pianist produces Bop-like comping to toughen the groove or more often studied impressionism, which seems wedded to pseudo-classicism until the others join to confirm more ambulatory themes.

Lavergne’s measured cadences are as self-effacing as they are skilled, with only a brief interlude on “Long Train” where he builds up from efficient taps and shuffles to hard slaps more percussive. He also solidifies foot tappers projected by piano key jabs, double bass thumps and horn antiphony. Murcia meanwhile walks, strums and thumps her bass strings when needed, at point doubling the horn-led exposition for added movement.

With this emphasis on light swing, melodic advancement and often theme recapping, India’s idioms are more likely to be heard at a metropolitan Jazz club than a Mumbi religious ceremony. The one anomaly is that during “A Night in Kali Temple” when the exposition shifts from double bass strums and mid-range clarinet trills, Moussay’s theme elaboration sounds as if he’d like to quote Chick Corea’s “Spain” among his semi-classical musings.

Successfully disregard the title and instead appreciate a set of well-played and well-integrated contemporary improvisation.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Phoolan Devi 2. Un théâtre sur les docks 3. Mousson 4. A Night in Kali Temple 5. Madras Song 6. Gange 7. Long Train 8. Short Train* 9. Montée au K2

Personnel: Olivier Laisney (trumpet); Louis Sclavis (clarinet, bass clarinet); Benjamin Moussay (piano); Sarah Murcia (bass); Christophe Lavergne (drums) and Dominique Pifarély (violin)*