Sylvain Kassap Sextet

Connecting a subset of progressive political ideas to his compositions, veteran French clarinetist Sylvain Kassap creates a suite of compositions that galvanize on musical sophistication alone.  Some of the sextet themes subtly reference the Paris Commune, the Korean détente and Rosa Luxenberg’s agitation, but indoctrination bows to improvisation. Kassap, who has worked with everyone from Baby Sommer to Alexander Hawkins is surrounded by young and older players who have experience in mainstream, fusion and Free Jazz: keyboardist Sophia Domancich, bassist Hélène Labarrière, drummer Fabien Duscombs and brass players Christiane Bopp and Aymeric Avice.

Succinctly the introductory “La Coda Du Début” and the penultimate “La Semaine Sanglante” tracks include a tranche of marching band-like crescendos or replication of a 19^th Century Socialist anthem. But the tracks that follow them and the others elaborate textures and variations via  cadences not cadres. the Second track  “Spartakus” for instance, and subsequent tunes vibrate on the strength of Bopp’s plunger extensions which with snorts can bore their way to coalmine-digging textures. But here she and Kassap’s yelping trills alternate solos with tutti riffs. Brass-band echoes from the previous track are superseded by buzzing electric piano dabs and elastic slides and drum paradiddles until cymbal cracks restore the pseudo-march tempo. A combination of factors mean that some tracks list towards ProgRock while others are full-fledged andante swingers. Swaying vamps which epitomize these currents also buffer distinctive sound explorations on pieces like “DMZ”, with showcases for Labarrière’s thick thumps and walking continuum and Avice’s portamento smears.

Weaving in-between Domancich’s electronic oscillation and layered brass triplets on the extended “Oktiabr”, Kassap’s mid-range glissandi fragment into irregular vibration and pressurized smears until settling into a groove with the others that is both linear and modal. Octobres includes enough exploratory arrangements and individual playing to mark it as exemplary musical showcase even if, like the 1917 October Russian revolution, it took place in November.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. La Coda Du Début 2. Spartakus 3. Canterbury 4. Oktiabr 5. Crinière 6. DMZ 7. Les Eaux Glacées 8. La Semaine Sanglante 9. The Loop Is Looped

 Personnel: Aymeric Avice (trumpet, flugelhorn); Christiane Bopp (trombone); Sylvain Kassap (clarinet and bass clarinet); Sophia Domancich (piano, Fender Rhodes); Hélène Labarrière (bass) and Fabien Duscombs (drums)