Open Palm

Palm Unit (whose name comes from the Palm label created by Jef Gilson). The core group is made up of saxophonist Lionel Martin, keyboardist Fred Escoffier, with whom they dynamited ethio-jazz in Ukandanz, and drummer Philippe Pipon Garcia, particularly recognized with Erik Truffaz (who previously played in Land then Cosmic Connexion with Fred Escoffier). For the Figures album, drummer Jean Joly joined the band on bass.

To confuse parts for the whole is inevitable with Palm. On their latest effort, Nicks and Grazes, Palm embrace discordance to dazzling effect. “We wanted to reconcile two potentially opposing aesthetics,” Kasra Kurt of the band says. “To capture the spontaneous, free energy of our live shows while integrating elements from the traditionally gridded palette of electronic music.”