Emile Parisien comes from Lot, in the South-West, not very far from Marciac where one of the most important jazz festivals in France is held. Over time, the festival has generated related activities, including the establishment of training for apprentice jazz players.
“It started with this jazz program offered at Marciac College since 1994. Three years later, I was part of the first class, as is the case with pianist Julien Touéry. I then continued to study jazz and classical music at the Toulouse Conservatory. I worked on my technique, I studied classical saxophone with Philippe Lecocq, an alto and soprano player,” explains this hippie-looking musician, a cool guy as the cousins say.
“It started with this jazz program offered at Marciac College since 1994. Three years later, I was part of the first class, as is the case with pianist Julien Touéry. I then continued to study jazz and classical music at the Toulouse Conservatory. I worked on my technique, I studied classical saxophone with Philippe Lecocq, an alto and soprano player,” explains this hippie-looking musician, a cool guy as the cousins say.
Emile Parisien plays mainly soprano saxophone. He is a total fan of Wayne Shorter whose profound influence of the fabulous quartet can be felt when listening to his music. But it's John Coltrane he says he listened to the most when it came to the instrument. There are others, of course... but the young man doesn't seem to want to linger on the question. The work of his group interests him more.
“We are friends, we work together, we do everything together. This is even more evident in our second album to be released (Original pimpant, Laborie label), whose work emerges from a collective energy. We're trying to work on a more narrative form, actually. We do not stay with the theme-chorus-theme structure, we rather go through a point A, then through a point B, then we go to C, D, we arrive at E... Several different energies, in short: happy, sad, joyful, all the emotions, you name it.”
As is the case with so many talented young musicians, all the more educated, the new jazz of the Émile Parisien Quartet absorbs other aesthetics.
“We listen to everything, actually. Sylvain has done a lot of rock. Ivan still plays in classical orchestras. We listen to jazz, free, pop, classical or contemporary music, we play the music we love... For example, we cover a magnificent theme from Wagner (the third movement of Tristan and Iseult), a excuse to go elsewhere. Compared to our first album (Goodbye porcupine, released in 2006), I would say that the material of Original pimpant is more accomplished, the energy that emerges from it is perhaps more rock.
Original and dapper, we are tempted to add. - Alain Brunet
Tracks
1. Sanchator De Profundis
2. Darwin À La Montagne
3. Requiem Titanium
4. Le Bel À L'Agonie (Richard Wagner)
5. Sopalynx
EMILE PARISIEN soprano saxophone
IVAN GÉLUGNE double bass
SYLVAIN DARRIFOURCQ drums, percussion
JULIEN TOUÉRY piano, other objects
Music composed by Ivan Gélugne, Julien Touéry and Sylvain Darrifourcq, except (4) by Richard Wagner
Recorded at Studio Laborie
Label LABORIE LJ 07 (france)