The first listen to these “jaded angels” leaves an acute impression of melancholy. We start to dream while looking into the distance, imagining the fog of London or perhaps that of Berlin. Are these fallen angels, these ghosts on the Wall, not the heroes of the very beautiful film by Wim Wenders?
But let us be careful not to reduce this splendid album to the black and white, twilight vision of the first three pieces. Certainly, the sequence “Jaded Angels”/“Ghosts on the Wall”/“Fallen Angels” is almost on the same register: large black diamond-colored chords, sumptuously dragging themes, minimalist double bass and drums which sometimes end up marrying a tempo medium slow.
But “Ice Lady” announces the first turning point of the record. The short piano introduction continues the incredible tour de force of the first twenty minutes: delivering a captivating speech without the rhythm really settling. And then, without warning, Eric Watson sends one of the hypnotic arpeggios of which he has the secret. Like the appearance of color in Wings of Desire.
From a certain point of view, “Dice In the Sky” constitutes the high point of the record. This long, modal and frenzied piece shakes up the languid listener, channels energy and tension through a new rhythmic regularity: we can certainly find Christophe Marguet's "chabada" stiff, prefer his more subdued attacks, but the left hand strokes of Eric Watson are delightfully devastating.
Jaded Angels continues in the intimacy of “Consolation”, a falsely serene ballad that is disturbed by a few mysterious piano clusters. Finally “House of Mirrors” closes this record with a disturbing arpeggiated motif which seems to be lost in the mists of time or the infinite reflections of a fading light. So the listener remains delivered to the fundamental anguish of silent nothingness and says to himself that Jaded Angels is the jazz record that Blaise Pascal could have dreamed of. - Julien Lefèvre / citizenjazz.com
Tracks
1. Jaded Angels
2. Ghosts On The Wall
3. Fallen Angels
4. Ice Lady
5. Dice In The Sky
6. Consolation
7. House Of Mirrors
ERIC WATSON piano
PETER HERBERT double bass
CHRISTOPHE MARGUET drums
All music composed by Eric Watson
Recorded March 19, 20 & 21, 2006 at Studio La Fonderie in Malakoff, France.
ACT – ACT 9452-2 (Germany)