Gregoire Maret, Romain Collin & Bill Frisell - Americana

Styles: Harmonica, Piano And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:31
Size: 125,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:08) 1. Brothers in Arms
(3:57) 2. Small Town
(6:16) 3. Rain Rain
(4:02) 4. San Luis Obispo
(5:15) 5. Back Home
(5:27) 6. Wichita Lineman
(7:07) 7. The Sail
(8:14) 8. Re: Stacks
(6:11) 9. Still

Harmonica player and composer Gregoire Maret is not a familiar name in the U.S. but he should be. The New York-based artist has recorded with Jimmy Scott, Jacky Terrasson, Steve Coleman and Five Elements, Charlie Hunter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Pat Metheny and many others. The very bankable musician has appeared on over seventy-five releases as a sideman and has recorded as a leader on three albums. Americana unites Maret with pianist, composer and label-mate Romain Collin, along with legendary guitarist Bill Frisell, and drummer Clarence Penn on one track.

The music on Americana comes from the perspective of two immigrants to the U.S.; the Swiss-native Maret, and Frenchman Collin. On many tracks Frisell adds the authenticity he brought to his own Nonesuch Records projects such as Nashville (1997), Good Dog, Happy Man (1999) and Disfarmer (2009). Maret and Collin often perform as a duo and open the album with the unexpected; Scottish-born Mark Knopfler's Dire Straits song "Brothers in Arms" feels like a natural here. Frisell then joins in on two of his own compositions, "Small Town" and "Rain, Rain" given a fresh feel with Maret's contributions.

Collin's "San Luis Obispo" appeared on the pianist's Press Enter (ACT Music, 2015); a beautiful Appalachian-tinged lullaby, sparse and haunting in its original piano form, Frisell and Maret give it a down-to-earth reading. Maret's "Back Home" is the only appearance of Penn who adds some light brushwork. The trio takes on the Jimmy Webb classic "Wichita Lineman" and the Justin Vernon composition "Re: Stacks" from the Dirty Bourbon River Show debut For Emma, Forever Ago (Self-produced, 2007). In Collin, Maret and Frisell we have artists of three origins, entangled together in the early influences of U.S. music; they urge the listener to hear common threads. Americana is a journey guided by distant lights, and the musicians lead each other in an alliance that is both conversant and spiritual. Highly recommended.~KARL ACKERMANN https://www.allaboutjazz.com/americana-gregoire-maret-romain-collin-bill-frisell-act-music

Personnel: Gregoire Maret: harmonica; Romain Collin: piano; Bill Frisell: guitar, electric; Clarence Penn: drums.

Additional Instrumentation: Romain Collin: piano, Moog Taurus, pump organ, effects; Bill Frisell: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo; Clarence Penn: drums.

Americana

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Grégoire Maret - Gregoire Maret

Styles: Harmonica, Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 80:31
Size: 184,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:56)  1. Lucilla's Dream
(4:48)  2. The Secret Life Of Plants
(4:57)  3. The Man I Love
(4:54)  4. Travels
(1:37)  5. 5:37 PM (Intro)
(7:14)  6. Crepuscule
(2:48)  7. 4:28 AM (Outro)
(5:49)  8. Manhã Du Sol
(7:59)  9. Prayer
(4:28) 10. Lembra De Mim
(1:01) 11. The Womb
(6:30) 12. Children's Song
(6:16) 13. Outro
(6:12) 14. O Amor E O Meu Pais
(3:39) 15. Ponta De Areia
(7:15) 16. Toyotama No Hikui Tsuki

Gregoire Maret's first album under his own name is both more and less than a Music lover following the harmonicist's career might expect. After years of collaborating with the likes of guitarists Pat Metheny and Charlie Hunter, and vocalist Cassandra Wilson, Maret (mostly) wisely but ambitiously places his instrument in a variety of settings that highlight various aspects of his playing.The sum effect of hearing his eponymous debut is to appreciate how much Maret has brought to the music of others. "Lucilla's Dream" recalls Maret's collaboration with Metheny on The Way Up (Nonesuch, 2005), and not just so obviously with the inclusion of wordless vocals; the performance builds through a series of carefully wrought crescendos and concludes emphatically with Clarence Penn's drum break. On a leisurely stroll through Metheny's co-composition with pianist Lyle Mays, "Travels," Maret takes the time to explore its melodic nuances with exquisite patience.Maret's distinctive presence as a musician also comes forth clearly on his rendition of Stevie Wonder's "The Secret Life of Plants," written by the one-time Motown wunderkind when he'd long since left his own harmonica behind for synthesizers and a variety of other keyboards. As he does throughout the CD, Maret brings a vivid tone to his playing in the straightforward arrangement, no small achievement given that his harmonica, by its very nature, puts forth a light breezy air. "Crepuscule Suite" is one of a pair of extended pieces here, and its body offers the opportunity for Maret to vigorously improvise with the other participants, including bassist James Genus and keyboardist Federico Pena. The other is "Children's Suite," one of the three Maret originals, and it highlights the harmonicist's playing in a series of delicious contrasts with strings as well as acoustic piano. Ultimately, this becomes the gateway to the slow unfolding of the album's track sequencing that conjures up a dream-like quality. For all the indisputably impeccable musicianship and production, however, Maret's album sounds as if he was too anxious to present his definitive artistic statement in one fell swoop. The track featuring mentor Cassandra Wilson is the most representative of that labored approach: the sole cut featuring a traditional vocal, her voice is as arresting as Maret's playing but is, in the end, simply too obvious a tribute/homage to the artist with whom Maret has collaborated. More than compensating for that understandable lapse, though, are those memorable moments within the orchestrated "O Amor E O Meu Pais." Here, fellow harmonicist Toots Thielemans appears to interact fluently with Maret, and the gusto in the pair's playing is unmistakable. The sound of their instruments and their interplay is stirring, but deceptively so, as is the case through most of the tracks on Gregoire Maret. ~DougCollettehttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/gregoire-maret-gregoire-maret-eone-music-review-by-doug-collette.php

Personnel: Grégoire Maret: harmonica, vocals; Federico G Pena: piano, taicho harp, percussion, vocals; James Genus: electric bass, vocals, acoustic bass; Clarence Penn: drums, vocals; Bashiri Johnson and Mino Cinelu: percussion; Brandon Ross: soprano acoustic guitar, 6- and-12 string acoustic guitar; Jean-Christophe Maillard: acoustic guitar, taicho harp; Jeff "Tain" Watts: drums; Alfredo Mojica: percussion; Cassandra Wilson: vocals; Stephanie Decailet: violin; Johannes Rose: viola; Fabrice Loyal: cello; Marcus Miller: fretless bass; Janelle Gill, Adia Gill, Clyde Gill, Micai Gill: vocals; Toots Thielemans: harmonica; Robert Kubiszyn: acoustic bass; Krzystol Herzdin: string arrangement; Gretchen Parlato: voice. Soumas Heritage School of Music Ensemble; Sinfonia Viva Orchestra

Gregoire Maret

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