Qui Qu’en Grogne
Self-Released, 2022
9/10
Yannick Rieu knows his way around a saxophone. In fact, he’s so versed in the instrument he was became the 18th recipient of the Oscar Peterson Award, which honors his contributions to the Canadian jazz scene.
Here, along with Gentiane Michaud-Gagnon (piano), Guy Boisvert (bass) and Louis-Vincent Hamel (drums), he brings us songs that revisit his roots with songs steeped in the classic jazz quartet tradition.
The title track opens the listen with a warm and quick pace of soulful sax, agile keys and frisky drumming in a timeless jazz sort of way, and “Song Sisters” follows with a calmer display of elegant, textured beauty that’s quite heartfelt.
“Time Is, Life Was” resides in the middle, and showcases Rieu’s rich sax prowess amid the reflective climate, while “Le Philosophe” benefits much from the very adventurous delivery from the drums and keys near the end.
The final two tracks, “Pharaon” and “Porta di Cinese”, don’t disappoint either, where the former emits much warmth before building into an emotive, powerful demeanor, and the latter allows the bass to shine alongside the dynamic brass and drumming acrobatics.
A technically proficient and very diverse outing, both the past and future of jazz are touched upon here, as Rieu and company provide much melody, beauty and mystery that’s immediately gripping.
Travels well with: Yves Léveillé- L'échelle du temps; Karl Silveira- A Porta Aperta