Healing Rituals
Self-Released, 2023
8/10
The French flutist and composer Naïssam Jalal brings along Clément Petit, Claude Tchamitchian, and Zaza Desiderio for these 9 very cultured, jazz spirited songs.
“Rituel du vent” opens the listen with Jalal’s mysterious flute alongside Tchamitchian’s moody bass in the mesmerizing climate, and “Rituel du soleil” follows with playfully plucked bass and Petit’s agile cello making an indelible impression.
In the middle, “Rituel de la riviére”, the album’s best, is a dreamy, intimate display of reflective flute, while the fuller “Rituel de la terre” is quite melodic, and showcases Desiderio’s soft drumming that’s quite soothing.
“Rituel de la lune” and “Rituel de la brume” exit the listen, where the former a bare initially, and emits plucked strings, poetic flute and some very expressive singing, and the latter finishes with a gentle, rich delivery.
A passionate body of work that’s exploratory in cautious ways, Jalal pens a very worldly listen that will appeal to fans of jazz, improvisation and meditative sounds.
Travels well with: Eileen Ivers- Scatter The Light; Moken- Missing Chapters