L’abîme

L’abîme
L'abîme
Multiple Chord Music

L'abîme (translated as The Abysm) is a Quebec quintet who debut with the eponymously named album. The group was conceived about two years ago with a unique sound rooted in modern jazz with solid rock and contemporary classical influences (the music of Olivier Messiaen being a significant touchstone). Its members are pianist Jonathan Turgeon, bassist Hugo Blouin, saxophonist and flutist Alex Dodier, tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Gabriel Genest, and drummer Jean-Philippe Godbout. Pianist Turgeon composed all the tunes, but the whole group helped put together the arrangements.

The music on this debut recording is a showcase for the group's woodwind players, who explore a wide range of textures and timbres. The album opens with the reflective "Requiem," which is set forth at a stately pace with Dodier and Genest helping state the theme over Turgeon's piano. Genest's woody-tone clarinet weaves in and out with Dodier's surging sax before closing in a muted manner. "Perdu dans les bois" translates as 'lost in the woods.' The spotlight is on Didier's soprano sax and pianist Turgeon on a dreamy performance on this cut. "'Labîme" opens with a brief bass solo before Turgeon plays cleanly and crisply while building in energy before the horns join in to add additional heat.

The three-part "Le Culte" is a centerpiece of the recording. The quintet navigates moods and various sonic textures opening in the first part with a somber tone generated by flute and clarinet and the interplay between the two and a turbulent rhythmic foundation. As the performance evolves, one hears commonalities with some of the recordings by the AACM and similar musicians herd in the use of dissonance, composed sections. Among the attractions in this three-part composition are Blouin's sawtooth bowed bass, Genest's buzzing, stormy tenor sax, and Turgeon's piano.

Closing this recording is "L'etang au crepuscule (the Pond at Dusk)," a lovely, unhurried performance that opens with Genest's dreamy clarinet and then Blouin solos over Turgeon's spare accompaniment. It closes this quartet's impressive debut, with challenging, but accessible music.

I received a download to review from a publicist. Here is a selection from the album.