Pão

This is a great album, with some great ballads, bebop, Latin and Eugene's unique fusion style. He is a world talent, and certainly the most respected to come out of Hong-Kong. I've been fortunate to see him play live many times, and never been disappointed. Here though some of his best his brought out of him, playing with truly world class musicians.

Cette année là, notre compteur affiche un nombre vertigineux d'heures passées à nous laisser bercer par le bourdonnement du didgeridoo de Stephen Kent. Si certains morceaux comme impro évoquent inévitablement le carnet de route de Romano, Sclavis et Texier, la nature même de la section rythmique (percussions, didgeridoo) permet à l'ensemble de s'en émanciper. Michel Portal retrouve ici un vieux complice: Mino Cinelu (turbulence, men's land).

Guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly's ensemble combines his own heavy guitar sound and R&B-tinged vocals, the passionate African chants of Abdourahmane Diop, and the percussive drive of Samba Sock on boograboo (four large African congas with bells) and Slaka on djembe. Reggie Washington (of Steve Coleman renown) plays bass on four tracks, doubling the low end with Big Royal Talamacus on "filtered boom bass," which sounds like bass through a fuzz box. Two high-profile guest saxophonists, Archie Shepp and Henry Threadgill, appear on several tracks, enlivening the session with their free jazz sensibilities.