Erik Truffaz - Rollin'

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:23
Size: 77,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:48) 1. La Strada
(3:38) 2. Route de nuit
(3:38) 3. One Silver Dollar
(4:09) 4. Thème de Fantômas
(3:21) 5. Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
(3:20) 6. Persuader's Theme
(4:07) 7. César et Rosalie
(5:14) 8. Le casse
(3:05) 9. Quel temps fait-il à Paris ?

Trumpeter Erik Truffaz's releases inspire excitement, debate, and concert attendance in Europe and Asia. Back in 2020, film director Marie-France Brière approached him about collaborating with her and composing music for a documentary film (Les îles de Napoléon). Following post-production and its entry on the competition circuit, Brière requested the trumpeter's quartet play a concert of themes from French cinema to close the Angoulême film festival.

The band enjoyed the process and gig so much, trumpeter/producer Truffaz approached Blue Note his longtime label about releasing two albums of themes. Rollin' is the inaugural release, Clap is due at the end of the year. Bassist and co-producer Marcelo Giuliani and Truffaz the only remaining member of the trumpeter's quartet chose Rollin's personnel together: percussionist Raphaël Chassin, keyboardist Alexis Anérile, and guitarist Mathis Pascaud. Also included here are two vocal selections, "One Silver Dollar" sung by Camélia Jordana and "Cesar et Rosalie" delivered by actress and partner Sandrine Bonnaire.

It opens with a tender, impressionistic read of Nino Rota's title theme "La Strada." With finger-plucked electric guitar strings introducing the changes, Truffaz, slowly offers the melody with minimal embellishment. The electric piano colors the space between as a minimal bass drones in the backdrop. "Route de Nuit" was composed by Michel Magne for George Lautner's comedy Les Tontons Flingueurs. The original tune is a I-IV-V surf boogie progression. Truffaz's band keeps the bluesy changes, but otherwise turns it inside-out to become a wooly, distorted, funky, guitar-and-trumpet-driven fusion jam. Magne also composed the dark, carnivalesque "Theme de Fantomas," rendered with pathos, counterpoint, noisy electric pianos and guitars, and a swinging snare and hi-hat shuffle. "One Silver Dollar" (sung by Marilyn Monroe in Otto Preminger's 1954 western River of No Return opposite Robert Mitchum) is delivered by Jordana with the same deadpan eros as the original.

Pascaud's tremolo bar work is exceptional, and that goes double on John Barry's theme from the Persuaders TV series. Bonnaire's appears on the theme from "Cesar et Rosalie" was composed by Phillipe Sarde. Truffaz uses a stone mute in the intro before a rippling piano introduces the progression. Bonnaire enters halfway through, speaking dryly yet passionately from the script. There is a version of "Ascenseur Pour L'echafaud," the theme from Luis Bunuel's film of the same name Miles Davis and his band composed and recorded the music while watching the rushes. Truffaz's take is reverent but more mysterious.

His trumpet is the narrator, probing and questioning amid the gorgeous yet tentative melody while Anérile's electric piano hovers in the margin, adorned by guitar and bass. Also beautifully and unexpectedly rendered is Ennio Morricone's title theme "Le Casse" (The Burglars). The lyric interplay established reputation as an innovator; his quartet manages to imbue each of these selections with bracing new elements yet remains completely faithful to their sources.By Thom Jurek
https://www.allmusic.com/album/rollin-mw0003954463

Personnel: Trumpet, Co-producer – Erik Truffaz; Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass, Co-producer – Marcello Giuliani

Rollin'

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Erik Truffaz - Lune rouge

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:07
Size: 136,8 MB
Art: Front

( 0:45)  1. Tanit
( 6:33)  2. Cycle by Cycle
( 3:44)  3. Reflections
( 4:37)  4. Five On The Floor
( 9:46)  5. ET Two
( 4:05)  6. Tiger in The Train
(11:34)  7. Lune rouge
( 2:00)  8. Algol
( 3:01)  9. She's The Moon
( 1:43) 10. Alhena
( 5:53) 11. Nostalgia
( 5:19) 12. Houlgate

It is three years since Erik Truffaz last released an album. Now, with Lune Rouge, the acclaimed French trumpeter returns in his distinctive style, alongside Arthur Hnatek (drums and electronics), Marcello Giuliani (bass) and Benoit Corboz (Rhodes, keyboards and piano). It is an album of vast open landscapes. The rhythm section lay down insistent, cycling grooves – loping hip hop, four to the floor dance, straight rock, nu jazz electronic loops. A high-performance vehicle of interlocking rhythms, driving to the horizon under the big sky of Truffaz’ simple, beautiful melodic lines. “Do they do solos with so few notes in New York?” Truffaz jokes with Hnatek during the recording, apparently. And what notes they are. Each carefully chosen and delivered with a meltingly smooth tone. Sustained breathy exhalations - haunting, uplifting - surrounded by a luxury of space. Fragments of astral patterns repeated and developed. Simple harmonies. So little used to create so much.

The compositions for the album developed collectively in the Swiss studio from extended improvised sessions, before being adjusted, refined, polished. Hnatek, who joined the long-established band for their last album, is colourful and absorbing on drums  making angular sure-footed changes of direction to keep it fresh. Locking in tightly with Giuliani on bass, they are the compelling precision machine needed. Corboz is key to keeping the listener engaged throughout the album, providing essential variety in texture with his changing use of keyboard sounds. Smoothly supporting Truffaz with sweetly beseeching piano in Nostalgia or the album’s soporific savasana Houlgate. Creating tension with more unsettling, edgy synth sounds in the terrific Five on the Floor, the space-age Tiger in the Train, or the industrial distopian Alhena.

There are also two vocal tunes  the soulful Reflections featuring Jose Jones, and the wistful-optimistic She’s the Moon featuring Andrina Bollinger. They are uncomplicated, pretty songs, providing unexpected conventional islands in the open ocean of the album. It would be interesting to hear the contribution of the vocalists to some of the more spaced out, extended form tracks. Overall, this is a great album which is at its best when Truffaz makes that visceral connection between his music and the listener. The restless racing heartbeat of Cycle by Cycle. The anguish and release of the title track Lune Rouge, opening with an exquisite understated lament from Truffaz over a cycling, echoing electronic pattern, before rising to animalistic cries from the trumpet which loop and overlap. Through his 20 year career, we are told, Truffaz is setting out perpetually “on a passionate quest to make the stars align.” With Lune Rouge there are moments of that stellar calibration he is searching for. Truffaz is promoting the album through a European tour – including a date at the Jazz Café in London on 8th February 2020. https://www.jazzviews.net/erik-truffaz---lune-rouge.html

Personnel: Erik Truffaz (trumpet); Arthur Hnatek (drums, electronics); Marcello Giuliani (bass); Benoit Corboz (Rhodes, keyboards, piano)

Lune rouge

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Erik Truffaz - Mantis

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:43
Size: 135,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:35)  1. The Point
(7:49)  2. La Mémoire du silence
(6:32)  3. Saisir
(2:14)  4. No Fear
(4:48)  5. Nina Valeria
(3:57)  6. Parlophone
(3:50)  7. Magrouni
(7:45)  8. Mantis
(4:09)  9. Yasmina
(2:42) 10. Mare Mosso
(4:49) 11. Tahun bahu
(4:27) 12. Snachy Baby

The innate concord between representation and abstraction, the crucial breakthrough of 20th Century art, palpable in the work of Picasso, Matisse and Klee, has a musical counterpoint in jazz recordings such as Mantis. The quartet is Truffaz’s medium and with the support of three noteworthy musicians, of which guitarist Manu Codjia receives the most attention soloing, he manages to parlay his low to mid register brand of trumpet playing into a captivating acoustic proposal. At times, Truffaz’s blowing technique is so understated that he resembles a flautist playing a trumpet facing down. When listening to Truffaz, one must relearn the art of hearing somewhat unexplored trumpet possibilities; although such relearning can be done with ease. Perhaps, “ease” and precision when expressing oneself, even when most abstract and muted, is what such a lesson is all about. His modus operandi works well within the swerving edges provided by the fellow members of the group, whose mutual dialogue is constantly punctuated by a felicitous brand of jumpy coarseness that adds unique textures to the offerings in this date. When need be so, however, Truffaz taunts his listeners with commanding puffs worthy of anyone’s respect.

“The Point” opens up as the drummer edges a thick substratum from the cool and relaxed bass lines, with electronic guitar punctilios that take off into challenging decompositions, after Truffaz’s initial solo. García and Benita are matchless in their percussive ideas and touches, closing it up as they give way to a punchy and edging give and take between guitar and trumpet. 

“La Mémoire du Silence,” or “The Remembrance of Silence,” is a model for the use of space in jazz. It is not so much romantic as it is thoughtful with plenty of atmosphere and an edge of its own. It is ready made for Truffaz. 

In “Saisir”, the drum backbeat and the guitar lines lend an air of familiarity to friendly floating riffs from Truffaz and Benita in the bass until they all join in a pulsating exploratory venture. Bravo to García for his use of the rim!
“No Fear” briefness features Truffaz with a clear line of sight and minimal pointillist support. His embracing tone is evident here. 

“Nina Valeria” offers a rare composition in the history of jazz whereupon Truffaz is simply paired with one of the two special guests in this album, Anour Brahem. He plays the oud and the result is enthralling as the deep and ancient sweetness of the oud adds just the right zing to the elongated breathy harmonies from Truffaz. 

“Parlophone” is an experimental tune relying mostly on vocalizations and sound effects that could serve as musical background for a scene for a science fiction film featuring a futuristic public transportation station. 

Mounir Troudi is the other special guest in Mantis. He provides Arab vocalizations in “Magrouni” that interplay effectively with its odd metering and the layered response from the group. This lashing tune gets to the point in a hurry. Truffaz makes the most out of the title cut highlighting his low sizzling heat as a précis for an equally warm statement from Codjia’s electric guitar, as well as a welcomed, albeit all too brief, bass account. It should be noted that all musicians in this tune, as well as the rest of the CD, have spanking new thoughts well worth repeated listening. An acoustic guitar and trumpet duo in “Yasmina” provides yet another opportune pairing in Mantis and a momentary respite from the engaging nature of the previous tune. Truffaz dwells on a higher register here. Right before the concluding “Tahun Bahu,” with a characteristic sense of engaged relaxation, the short composition “Mare Mosso” whets one’s appetite quite well as Truffaz engages in guitar like riffs that work well within a Middle Eastern percussive feel, with a concluding animal horn-like effect on the trumpet. Stay for a few silent seconds after the conclusion for a surprise instrumental bonus...~ Javier Aq Ortiz https://www.allaboutjazz.com/mantis-erik-truffaz-blue-note-records-review-by-javier-aq-ortiz.php

Personnel: Erik Truffaz- trumpet; Manu Codjia- guitar; Michel Benita- acoustic bass; Phillippe Garcia- drums; Anour Brahem- oud on "Nina Valeria;" Mounir Troudi- vocal on "Magrouni."

Mantis

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Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:06
Size: 109,5 MB
Art: Front

(1:24)  1. Comptine
(5:17)  2. Kudu
(4:21)  3. Djiki'n
(6:08)  4. Pacheco
(5:05)  5. Szerelem
(6:12)  6. Fat City
(4:00)  7. Doni Doni - Part 1
(6:58)  8. Doni Doni - Part 2
(3:35)  9. Seydou
(4:00) 10. Le complément du Verbe

This Swiss-born French trumpeter has been successfully blurring the boundaries between the worlds of jazz, hip-hop, drum-and-bass and world music for over twenty years now and after a long and fruitful association with the legendary Blue Note label finds himself on Parlophone, the EMI imprint that brought the world the Beatles, of course, and which now as a result of EMI's being sold finds itself part of the Warner Music group. As well as being a talented and imaginative horn man with a distinctive signature sound, Truffaz's undoubted forte is being able to balance artistic consistency with a sense of musical adventure and this new album his twentieth in twenty-two years is proof of that. Combining mournful, elegiac horn lines with irresistible grooves and atmospheric soundscapes, it bears the unmistakable and quintessential sonic stamp of Erik Truffaz at the same time, though, it breaks new and exciting ground, especially in relation to trumpeter's inspired collaborations with  Malian singer, Rokia Traore, whose magnetic presence and elegant, soulful vocals grace four tracks. The best song that she features on (though they're all good) is the mesmerizing 'Djiki'n,' which possesses a gently undulating African groove. 

As satisfying as that performance undoubtedly is, it's eclipsed by the moody instrumental, 'Kudu,' where Truffaz's majestic horn rides a thrilling Fender Rhodes-driven backbeat that's anchored by Marcello Giuliani's trance-like bass line. Other highlights include the ruminative urban tone poem, 'Fat City,'  the mellower, blues-infused 'Pacheco' which boasts a infectious hook, and the plaintive lyrical ballad, 'Szerelem.' In addition to Traore's presence, French rapper, Oxmo Puccino, contributes his oleaginous tones to 'Le Complement Du Verbe,' rounding off what is unequivocally one of Erik Truffaz's best albums yet. The trumpeter is due to appear at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London on Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd March 2016 where he'll be featuring tracks from this album. http://www.soulandjazzandfunk.com/reviews/3962-erik-truffaz-quartet-doni-doni-parlophone.html

Personnel:  Trumpet – Erik Truffaz; Bass, Banjo – Marcello Giuliani; Drums, Percussion, Electronics – Arthur Hnatek; Piano, Electric Piano, Organ [Hammond] – Benoît Corboz; Vocals – Oxmo Puccino , Rokia Traoré

Doni Doni

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Erik Truffaz - Face-À-Face Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: Face-À-Face  Disc 1

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:46
Size: 174,0 MB
Art: Front

(8:48)  1. Saloua
(5:42)  2. Gedech
(1:11)  3. Presentation
(4:51)  4. Dubophone
(2:50)  5. Ghost Drummer (Intro)
(6:47)  6. Ghost Drummer
(6:26)  7. Whispering
(2:25)  8. Parlofone
(6:41)  9. Magrouni
(5:37) 10. Ines
(5:34) 11. Le Reve D'Eline
(6:01) 12. Yabous
(3:33) 13. Outlaw
(6:07) 14. Big Wheel
(3:03) 15. Jadwell

Face-À-Face

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Album: Face-À-Face  Disc 2

Time: 73:55

Size: 169,6 MB

( 8:23)  1. Sweet Mercy

( 9:21)  2. King B.

( 0:43)  3. Presentation

( 5:01)  4. Wilfried

( 9:23)  5. Bending New Corners

( 1:57)  6. The Walk Of The Giant Turtle (Intro)

( 6:29)  7. The Walk Of The Giant Turtle

(10:25)  8. Arroyo

( 8:16)  9. Flamingos

( 9:35) 10. Belle De Nuit

( 4:17) 11. Betty

French trumpeter Erik Truffaz, one of the hardest working artists in jazz, seems to be endlessly on tour with his two groups. The only place his stylistically hybridized music has yet to make significant inroads is the US which is a shame because Truffaz is a fine player from the electric Miles camp and a largely innovative conceptualist as well. Face-à-Face, his first live release, includes one disc with his piano-based quartet and the other with his guitar-centric Ladyland. It demonstrates just how different studio material can be in performance, where the energy and expansive possibilities are greater. The Ladyland disc also proves it's possible to breathe new life into less-than-stellar material. Mantis (Blue Note, 2002) was a near-perfect blend of fusion-based writing with a distinctive Middle Eastern vibe. Saloua (Blue Note, 2005) unfortunately took the concept too far, emphasizing rapper Nya and Tunisian singer Mounir Troudi's voices over playing by Truffaz and Manu Codjia a guitarist who compellingly mixes quirky Frisellisms, Holdsworthian legato phrasing and the occasional metal edge. Live, the balance is returned. And that's a good thing, considering the lion's share of this material is taken from Saloua. Ladyland covers considerable territory. "Ines revolves around a hypnotic pedal tone, Troudi's plaintive singing in direct contrast with Truffaz's soft-timbred approach also evident on the gentle "La Reve D'Eline, featuring a duet spot for Truffaz and Codjia. "Yabous is more insistent, combining vocals by Troudi and Nya over power chords by Codjia and a visceral dance groove from bassist Michel Benita and drummer Philippe Pipon Garcia. "Magrouni is a pedal-to-the-metal rocker whose muscular theme doubled by Truffaz and Codjia provides one of the disc's most memorable moments.  Truffaz's quartet has been around longer, evolving considerably. It's morphed from an all-acoustic mainstream group in 1997 to a more aggressively rock-informed unit in recent years, influenced by but less dense and angular than Miles' late-'60s and early-'70s work. These days Patrick Muller is often found feeding his Rhodes through a distortion box, with more powerful rhythms coming from bassist Marcello Giuliani and drummer Marc Erbetta.  Live, the quartet occasionally augmented by Nya is the more adventurous of the two groups. The thundering "King B extends to nearly twice the studio take's length. Truffaz uncharacteristically reaches for the upper register of his horn while retaining his thick and appealing tone. As raw as Ladyland can be and as promising a young player as Codjia certainly is Truffaz's quartet is the more successful of the two, taking more collective risk with the material, even though it's equally form-based. "Bending New Corners, with Giuliani's popping bass and Muller's juxtaposition of abstraction and blues-based lines, is more open-ended than anything Ladyland does.  While the quartet disc wins out over Ladyland's because it takes greater chances, Face-à-Face in its entirety provides a terrific introduction to listeners who are unfamiliar with Truffaz and confirmation that, as good as his records have been, he's clearly at his best on the concert stage.~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/face-a-face-erik-truffaz-blue-note-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel:  Erik Truffaz : trompette, electronics;  Marc Erbetta : batterie, percussions, chant;  Mounir Troudi: bendir, chant;  Nya : chant;  Manu Codjia : electronics, guitare;  Michel Benita : basse, sampler;  Marcello Giuliani : basse;  Patrick Muller : piano, piano électrique, Fender Rhodes;  Philippe Garcia : sampler, batterie

Face-À-Face

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Erik Truffaz - Out of a Dream

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:48
Size: 114,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:01)  1. Down Town
(7:36)  2. Out of a Dream
(5:59)  3. Beaute Bleue
(6:24)  4. Wet in Paris
(5:21)  5. Porta Camollia
(5:49)  6. Indigo
(3:55)  7. Saisir
(3:23)  8. Elegie
(5:24)  9. Samara
(2:12) 10. Up Town
(1:42) 11. Betty

In the next step of his evolution as a pioneering jazz figure, French trumpeter Erik Truffaz continues his exploration of modern dance rhythms informed by drum ‘n’ bass and hip hop as well as gripping rock ‘n’ roll with his quartet on The Walk of the Giant Turtle. This CD is Truffaz’s fourth U.S. release, following up last year’s remarkable Mantis, and featuring a video on the making of the album. Joining Truffaz on the new disc are his long-time quartet, Patrick Muller on piano and electronic keyboards, Marcello Giuliani on bass and Marc Erbetta on drums. In a European interview Truffaz said that The Walk of the Giant Turtle (recorded in Lausanne in January 2003 and mixed in Paris) was based on ensemble improvisation. He remarked that the music “is not too cerebral.” He explained that the rock-fueled passion and power on three tracks (the heavy rocking, abrasive “King B,” the wah-wah-driven “Next Door” and the crunching/ cooking “Seven Skies”) came from two sources. First, Giuliani is the guitarist in a rock group named Aquarius. Secondly, Truffaz said that he came of age as a rock fan: “I listened to Led Zeppelin much more than Miles Davis [when I was younger].” The tunes teem with pockets of tension/release, rich sound textures, distortion and even Hendrixian guitar-like exchanges. Throughout, Truffaz soars above the combustible mix. The Walk of the Giant Turtle features Truffaz and company delivering fluid groove tunes like the lead-off “Scody (Part 1)” and “Scody (Part 2).” Also in the mix are lyrical beauties such as the slow-and-stretched “Turiddu” with seductive bass line and Rhodes atmosphere, the coolly alluring “Belle De Nuit,” and the captivating title tune that is at once delicate and spiritual with a gently sketched trumpet melody and Ravel-like piano counterpoint.

Born in 1960, Truffaz was inspired to play music by his saxophonist father who led a dance band. He took up the trumpet as a youngster and joined his father on the bandstand. As his technique grew, Truffaz linked up with other bands before being introduced to Miles Davis’ classic Kind of Blue album. This led him to study music at the Geneva Conservatoire in Switzerland where he learned to perform classical works by the likes of Mozart and Verdi. In addition to playing in the Orchestre de Suisse Romande, Truffaz played in cover bands while also writing his own jazz-infused music. In 1990 he formed a jazz band called Orange and the following year won France’s prestigious jazz award, the Prix Special. As a leader of his self-named group, Truffaz recorded his first album Nina Valeria and appeared on stages throughout Europe, including the Montreux Jazz Festival. Since the mid-‘90s, Truffaz has been a mover-and-shaker on the European creative improvisational scene. He signed with EMI France in 1996 and recorded three dynamic electro-acoustic recordings, Out of a Dream, The Dawn and Bending New Corners. He was introduced to North American audiences in 2000 with the CD The Mask, a compilation of his three EMI France albums that was followed by Revisité, a DJ-dance remix album of The Mask. The forward-sounding Mantis was released in 2002. The trumpeter has been likened to Miles Davis (from his In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew days), though Rolling Stone critic David Fricke writes, “Truffaz plays less like Miles than a jazz-rock [Brian] Eno, making rapturous atmospheres from a minimum of notes.” In Fricke’s review of Revisité, he concluded that the remixes “affirm the depth and durability of Truffaz’s fusion: a jazz with brawn, soul and plenty of wide open space.” Mantis, which featured guitarist Manu Codjia and guests Anouar Brahem on oud and Mounir Troudi on vocals, scored big points with open-eared jazz critics. Eugene Holley, Jr. commented on Amazon.com: “Truffaz and company create a compelling sound collage that dances and trances.” Bill Milkowski, writing in JazzTimes, heralded Truffaz’s music as “nastier than smooth jazz and naughtier than straightahead.” He added: “This is intelligent, uncompromising music happening in the now, played by musicians with serious chops, fertile imaginations and the courage of their convictions.” Talking to URB magazine, Truffaz explained that he continues to grow as a musician, taking lessons from the jazz and pop past and looking ahead to create new music. He said, “I’m not trying to be this or that. I just try to be myself, taking inspiration from the things I love.” On The Walk of the Giant Turtle, the trumpeter does just that: create a meld of jazz, pop and rock music that is dance-floor hip, rock-house blazing and new-jazz cool. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/eriktruffaz.

Personnel:  Trumpet – Erik Truffaz;  Alto Saxophone – Cyrille Bugnon;  Bass – Marcello Giuliani;  Drums – Marc Erbetta;  Flugelhorn – Erik Truffaz;  Piano – Patrick Muller;  Tenor Vocals – Cyrille Bugnon

Out of a Dream

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Erik Truffaz & Sly Johnson - Paris

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:13
Size: 85,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:08)  1. Mr Wyatt
(3:00)  2. Come Together
(4:47)  3. Addis Abeba
(3:01)  4. Nature Boy
(3:57)  5. Nina's Dream
(3:17)  6. La Mouche
(2:55)  7. Goodbye Tomorrow
(3:35)  8. Don't Stop
(6:29)  9. The Fly

Erik Truffaz received an early introduction into the world of a professional musician, thanks to his saxophone-playing dad. When he was ten years old, the French trumpeter began performing in his father's dance band. As he grew older, Truffaz performed with other bands in the region until he was 16 and heard Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. The great jazz trumpeter's music inspired him to learn more, and he set off for Switzerland's Geneva Conservatoire, where he became a student. Truffaz's repertoire expanded to works by Mozart and Verdi, and he performed as part of L'Orchestre de Suisse Romande. He also played in cover bands before establishing a group called Orange. The band concentrated on Truffaz's compositions. Among its members was Marc Erbetta, a drummer who continued to play with Truffaz as the trumpeter evolved.

Truffaz's jazz fusion artistry led France's Jury du Concours National de la Defense to bestow upon him the 1991 Prix Special, that country's coveted jazz award. Within three years, he became a leader with the release of Nina Valeria. In 1991, he made the first of his three appearances on the stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival. For two years beginning in 1994, he toured Europe, Russia, and Brazil, thanks to funds bestowed by the ProHelvetia Foundation. In 2000, Truffaz signed with Blue Note Records and released The Mask, a straight-ahead jazz session with Miles Davis similarities. By his second Revisité and third Mantis discs, however, Truffaz began to stretch the boundaries of contemporary jazz by incorporating drum'n'bass and hip-hop rhythms, establishing himself as a cutting-edge artist in his own right. In 2003, both Walk of the Giant Turtle and Bending New Corners were issued on Blue Note. Saloua from 2005 expanded his interest in hip-hop by adding some rap. From there he continued to release records that blurred genre lines, regularly collaborating with French hip-hop artist Oxmo Puccino. By the time he began recording 2015's Doni Doni it was time for longtime drummer Marc Erbetta to hand over the drumsticks to Arthur Hnatek, a young yet very talented musician known for his work with the likes of Tigran Hamasyan, John Patitucci, and Shai Maestro. ~ Linda Seida & Al Campbell https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/paris-avec-sly-johnson/id693219783

Personnel:  Trumpet – Erik Truffaz;  Vocals – Sly Johnson

Paris

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Erik Truffaz - Bending New Corners

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:37
Size: 141,5 MB
Art: Front

( 5:12)  1. Sweet Mercy
( 6:28)  2. Arroyo
( 6:10)  3. More
( 3:56)  4. Less
( 6:56)  5. Siegfried
( 8:09)  6. Bending New Corners
( 4:17)  7. Betty
( 5:58)  8. Minaret
( 4:18)  9. Friendly Fire
(10:10) 10. And

An odd reissue of sorts, Bending New Corners combines tracks off two of trumpeter Erik Truffaz's previous albums. It is unclear why Blue Note felt the need to repackage these tracks yet again; however, here they are and they are worth a listen. Containing tracks from the sessions that produced The Mask and its European version, The Dream, Bending New Corners is a groove-oriented work that draws heavily on late-'60s and early-'70s Miles Davis. To these ends, Truffaz is a forward-thinking improviser with a plangent tone and knack for writing funky, modal compositions. Adding to the hip quotient, rapper Nya guests on a few tracks, delivering a gruff, philosophical vibe that is more G. Love than G Unit. Recorded in 1999, the tracks seem more connected to the post-rock, jazz-rap movements of the '90s; in the post-2000 world they don't feel as cutting edge as Truffaz would probably like them to seem. ~ Matt Collar  http://www.allmusic.com/album/bending-new-corners-mw0000366330

Personnel:  Trumpet – Erik Truffaz;  Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass – Marcello Giuliani;  Piano, Electric Piano (Fender Rhodes) – Patrick Muller;  Drums, Percussion – Marc Erbetta;  Vocals – Nya (tracks: 1, 5, 6, 9)

Bending New Corners

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Erik Truffaz - The Walk Of The Giant Turtle

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:12
Size: 122,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:48)  1. Scody Pt. 1
(4:21)  2. Scody Pt. 2
(5:25)  3. King B
(7:07)  4. Flamingos
(4:25)  5. Turiddu
(5:50)  6. Next Door
(6:08)  7. Belle De Nuit
(4:27)  8. Wilfried
(6:46)  9. Seven Skies
(4:51) 10. The Walk Of The Giant Turtle

With the tension of his muted trumpet and the release of his open horn, Erik Truffaz walks on the back of a giant turtle representing planet Earth. His hip creations traverse continents as well as history. While jazz and electric fusion have remained faithful soul mates for over 30 years, the popular mix has always represented a thorn in the side of loyal, straight-ahead devotees. Most of the recordings issued by Miles Davis after 1969, after all, still pose questions in the minds of die-hard fans. Trumpeter Truffaz has created a powerful follow-up to last year’s Mantis, on which he sketched out drawings that connected the dots between cool jazz, world beat affairs, and tradition. This time out, Truffaz’s session sizzles with hot rock defiance, techno-dance energy and creative, in- your-face gestures.

”Seven Skies” heralds the approach of a passionate rock opera. “Flamingos” moves gracefully along dream-filled pathways. “King B” and “Next Door” strut to the heavy backbeat of a crowded dance floor. “Turiddu” and “Belle de Nuit” lay low with the sweet dreams of tomorrow. “Wilfried,” a personal favorite, offers intricate counterpoint behind the delicately woven and fresh open voice of Truffaz’s trumpet. To close the program, “The Walk of the Giant Turtle” stirs creative fires that all too often get left out in today’s business world where dollars carry more weight than artistic achievement. Kudos to Truffaz for his courage in seeing things his own way, with this recommended album as the fortuitous result. ~ Jim Santella  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-walk-of-the-giant-turtle-erik-truffaz-blue-note-records-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Erik Truffaz- trumpet; Patrick Muller- keyboards; Marcello Giuliani- electric bass; Marc Erbetta- drums.

The Walk Of The Giant Turtle

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Erik Truffaz - The Mask

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:21
Size: 147,9 MB
Art: Front

( 2:07)  1. Sweet Mercy
( 6:26)  2. Arroyo
( 6:10)  3. More
( 3:55)  4. Less
( 7:09)  5. No Choice
( 4:15)  6. Mask
( 5:45)  7. Dawn
( 4:14)  8. Betty
( 8:10)  9. Bending New Corners
( 5:57) 10. Minaret
(10:13) 11. And

Erik Truffaz’ sweet, open trumpet tone reveals the influence of a 1970s Miles Davis. The Fender Rhodes with echo serves to drive that message home. Most of the compilation employs acoustic bass and a tasteful drummer in the mainstream jazz tradition. However, it’s the French trumpeter’s intimacy with Davis’ fusion periods that takes center stage. From the small town of Gex, ten miles from the French/Swiss border, Truffaz got his early training working with his father’s dance band. 

His formal training came later at the Geneva Conservatoire where the trumpeter studied composition, theory and technique. Each track is an original, composed by the quartet. Truffaz wrote "Betty," a light, lyrical waltz with open trumpet, acoustic piano and acoustic bass. A vocal-like trumpet message becomes soaked in the piano’s overlapping harmony. The title track a modal, fusion number - combines rock drumming with electric bass and Fender Rhodes around Truffaz’ meandering trumpet melody. "Less" and "More" follow in the same tradition, with one employing minimalist traits, while the other adds more electronic echo and a tightly muted Harmon sound. While "No Choice" takes an acoustic piano approach with upright bass and open trumpet, the comfortable quartet style weaves modern mainstream drama around a bright, uplifting harmony.

Elsewhere, an electronic trumpet device with echo, and a forward-leaning quartet recall the later fusion experiments of Miles. Although Erik Truffaz treads step-for-step too close to the shadow of Miles Davis, his quartet captures the essence of a searching ensemble that is looking in all the right directions. ~ Jim Santella  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-mask-erik-truffaz-blue-note-records-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Erik Truffaz- trumpet; Patrick Muller- piano, Fender Rhodes; Marcello Giuliani- electric bass, acoustic bass; Marc Erbetta- drums, percussion.

The Mask

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