Casually, it's more than twenty-five years that Henri Texier had not proposed recording in public. To be precise, it should be noted that Live At "L'Improviste" is only the second of his long and prolific career: the previous one dates back to 1986, when his quartet invited saxophonist Joe Lovano to the part of the Amiens jazz festival. The Paris-Batignolles album followed , already at Label Bleu , a house to which Texier has remained faithful despite the difficulties that may have marked its existence.
Even more astonishing: neither this disc nor even this new formation was premeditated by Henri Texier. Because it is in fact Sébastien Texier who brought together musicians for a carte blanche on the barge L'Improviste in Paris, on a repertoire of "world creations in five minutes", essentially chosen from the existing , plus a bit of high-speed decryption. Sébastien therefore called on his father in particular, and opted for a quartet formula with François Corneloup and Louis Moutin.. A first for Henri Texier, who saw there the opportunity to finally play with this drummer solicited on several occasions, in vain - the agendas of the musicians are not always compatible.
Alchemy of meetings, life of jazz, jazz of life ... The concert enchanted not only its four protagonists but also the public. “A special moment, a very strong encounter. It is the pleasure of discovery, of finding companions with whom we get along well; we are always astonished to find ourselves on the same wavelength, the same vibration, the same pulsation, the same space-time, the same vocabulary, the same language. We understand everything we say and share. And the public received this music with great pleasure ”.
Denis Gambiez, sound engineer for L'Improviste, had the good idea to record these moments, including with two microphones aimed at the audience, just to faithfully reproduce the atmosphere. Two months later, Sébastien played the recording to his father… and it clicked. “I said to myself: this is my new band, and my next album! All that fell well, I was a little in research, because it is ten years that I play roughly with the same musicians, like Christophe Marguet or Manu Codjia, since the Strada Sextet or Quartet. I felt that it was important to change geometry ... That's life, and my comrades understood it well, moreover. This group presented itself like that! And as you know that I like to give a name to my groups, I looked for it. Usually, I quickly find or have already noted different things but there, nothing. And then, our country changed its face last May: so I said to myself that there was hope. We are going through a period that does not laugh a lot and if we do not have a little hope, then we will never have any. This is how I got the idea ofHope Quartet . "
You should also know that Henri Texier entrusted the mixing of the album to another of his faithful, Philippe Teissier du Cros. “He started work without me because he knows which way to go. Having said that, he warned me that the result would not be Cecil B. DeMille, rather Godard with a handheld camera. And what pleases me a lot is that despite today's technical means, this record has the spontaneity of recordings from the 60s, like liveat Sonny Rollins' Village Vanguard for example, or the records of Bill Evans. I really like this feeling of being without pressure, whereas sometimes, in the studio, you can be more tense because you think of really leaving something very satisfying. Here, there is an alchemy between the musicians and the group has a little classical quartet side, but without any nostalgia. I'm a bit like filmmakers who rediscover black and white; yes, it is a black and white disc ”.
The story deserved to be told because listening to Live At "L'Improviste"confirms in all points the enchantment described by Henri Texier. Based on a largely known repertoire, five compositions by the father and three by the son - "Ô Elvin", "Desaparecido", "Sacrifice", "SOS Mir" or a welcome "Song For Paul Motian" -, the quartet releases its music with a very communicative energy. The whole life of jazz summed up in just over an hour of recording! Common impulses, conversations, great escapes and risk-taking; behind the notes, we can guess the smiles and knowing looks. The complementarity between Sébastien Texier and François Corneloup jumps to the ears, and it is hard to believe that Louis Moutin was so infrequent with the family as his game naturally slips into his new clothes. Henri Texier, as always, shines; we vibrate listening to his song and his melodies haunted by the music he relates with fever. Paradox of an impromptu event which could have been fleeting, and where one day we will perhaps see a milestone in the career of the double bass player. A concert which becomes an almost timeless record, difficult to date as it radiates the very life of jazz in the most classic sense of the term, beyond fashions and stylistic effects.
A word, to finish, on the curious cover signed, as it should be, Guy Le Querrec , another faithful traveling companion. “This photo has quite a story: I usually tell Guy a bit about the music, or he comes to the studio for a walk. Then, he comes back with a box where he has put about fifteen prints that he has selected. Me, I take out three or four photos, I look at them, choose one and in general, it is also the one he had chosen! This time, it's a little different: he told me to go and consult the Magnum agency website on the Internet., where we can see many of his photos. And I came across the one that was going to illustrate the cover. But I put it aside while continuing to search. I wanted to get out of the African side that I had already used a lot, I eliminated a whole bunch of impressions, and each time I came back to that photo. Guy did not expect it at all! Yet again, this is an improvised story. We see a woman with headphones on, with a walkman beside her. In fact, this is a publicity session for a Discman ; Guy had two ideas, but he picked up on this one because the breasts are about the same size as the CD. Funny detail: Behind the sofa we see another photo of him, where a guy carries a vinyl to his ear, as if he is listening to it. At a certain point, everyone wanted to rest a bit, the woman lay down on the sofa, she started messing around a bit by putting her arm in the air and ... Guy took the picture. So much for the story. And then, at my age, I have the right to have a shirtless woman on one of my pockets! "
Sacred Henri! At sixty-eight, he is in great shape and the freshness of his energy is a pleasure to hear. Another good reason not to miss Live At “L'Improviste” . - Denis Desassis / citizenjazz.com
El comienzo de esta reseña no puede ser de otro modo que explicando que L’Improviste es un programa de France Musique Radio, dirigido por Anne Montaron, que está centrado en las músicas improvisadas. En sus emisiones se pueden escuchar, entre otros contenidos, conciertos de música improvisada grabados en festivales franceses o en este programa. En definitiva, este es un programa de interés cultural, el tipo de programa que debería tener cabida en una radio pública y del que desafortunadamente no todos los países pueden presumir.
En junio de 2012 Henri Texier visitó el programa acompañado por el Hope Quartet. En esta nueva formación de este veterano contrabajista colaboraban dos músicos habituales en sus últimos proyectos y grabaciones: su hijo Sébastien Texier (que acumula ya bastantes más meritos que el ser el hijo del jefe) y François Courneloup. No ocurrió, en esta ocasión, lo mismo con el baterista Louis Moutin, ya que este concierto fue el primero conjunto de los cuatro músicos.
Para tal premiere los Texier optaron por armar un repertorio que revisitaba temas tanto del padre como del hijo. La música de Henri Texier muestra esa fantástica capacidad que este maestro de las cuatro cuerdas ha tenido a lo largo de su carrera como compositor para lograr unos temas con unas melodías reconocibles y atractivas. Estas a su vez permiten a unos músicos de tanta calidad como sus acompañantes, de disfrutar de una gran libertad y deleitar al oyente con unos solos magníficos. Del mismo modo, los temas de Sébastien Texier muestran que este músico ha tenido en su padre a un maestro en esto del jazz.
El resultado es algo más que un anodino grandes éxitos en vivo, ya que el Henri Texier Hope Quartet es capaz de hacer que n puñado de grandes temas sigan sonando llenos de vida. - Pachi Tapiz / tomajazz.com
Tracks
1. Ô Elvin (Henri Texier)
2. Blues D'Eau (Henri Texier)
3. La Fin Du Voyage (Sëbastien Texier)
4. Desaparecido (Henri Texier)
5. Song For Paul Motian (Sébastien Texier)
6. Sacrifice (Henri Texier)
7. Roots (Sébastien Texier)
8. S.O.S Mir (Henri Texier)
SÉBASTIEN TEXIER alto saxophone, clarinet, alto clarinet
FRANÇOIS CORNELOUP baritone saxophone
HENRI TEXIER double bass
LOUIS MOUTIN drums
Recorded June 2012 at L'Improviste, Paris, France
Label Bleu - LBLC 6713