The Squid's Ear Magazine


Leandre, Joelle: At Souillac en Jazz (Ayler Records)

An extraordinary solo double bass set recorded at Saint-Jacques church of Cales, Lot, France in 2021 as part of the Souillac en Jazz festival from Joëlle Léandre, reaching into the depths for an incomparable and intensely concentrated display of technical skill and passion on the deep strings; captivating, visceral and cathartic.
 

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Personnel:



Joelle Leandre-double bass, voice


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UPC: 3473351400268

Label: Ayler Records
Catalog ID: AYLCD-169
Squidco Product Code: 31320

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2021
Country: France
Packaging: Digipack
Recorded live in the Saint-Jacques church of Cales, Lot, France, on July 18th, 2021, by Christian Pouget.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"This solo by Joelle Leandre concentrates an energy coming out of the depths of the earth, right from the first strokes of the bow. The huge sound, instantly gripping the body, is overwhelming far beyond the music, an experience so strong that tears flow when it comes to the sung parts.



From the depths of the ages, evocative of a Native American medicine woman, an Inuit shaman, voodoo priestess or even blues woman, extracting with bare hands her strings rooted in clay, transcending the sound of her double bass, she awakens a thousand-year-old buried 'collective unconscious' with her voice of trance, inviting ancestral spirits to a form of resistance to fight all the injustices of the world, piercing with sound and love the hearts of both aficionados dreaming of impossible musical utopias and of novices stunned by her visceral "duende"."-Christian Pouget, liner notes



"I often make the connection between a totally improvised musical performance and an abstract gestural painting. Whether she appears alone, in a duet with a long-time partner or in a quartet with people she meets for the first time, Joëlle Léandre puts herself in a position to occupy the space - here a church - and to fill with his tool - the double bass - throwing notes and sounds like Jackson Pollock covered a surface which he circled without stopping, throwing his colors using the technique of dripping. (When not alone, obviously sharing, but that doesn't change a thing). This new performance, performed last July as part of the Souillac en Jazz festival, includes six sequences called Calès (from the name of the village where this church is located), plus two additional Calès recorded after the concert. Working almost exclusively on the bow with the virtuosity that we know her, Joëlle leads her "recital" with two masterful hands, exploring the rumbling bass, the striking contrasts, the pitches of sound, the rhythmic breaks, the 'enriching with crackles, shrill stridences, strikes, convolutions, vocal interventions, in an apparent disorder. However, his performance is perfectly "composed", staged, with a beginning and an end; a spontaneous organization, one might say, the richness of which we can appreciate after the last note, and above all identify all the nuances and subtleties thanks to the record (which is why Joëlle Léandre publishes a lot of them). This seems to me particularly successful and representative of his work, I highly recommend it to all those for whom "disorder" is also a desire to fight against the conformism of many current musical productions."-Jean Buzelin, CultureJazz (translated by Google)


Get additional information at Culture Jazz (France)

Artist Biographies

"Joëlle Léandre is a famous French Bassist and is known for her collaborations with other musicians in the field of improvised music. Born in France on September 12th, 1951, she made her music debut in 1984 with Les Douze Sons. Her childhood was filled with music, and she was particularly interested in the piano during her early years. In her later years, she developed an interest in double bass, which won her many honors and scholarships during her education. Her double bass teacher Pierre Delescluse encouraged her to apply to the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris, where she was formally trained and noticed for her talent in the bass. Her outstanding musicianship took her to the United States and to the Centre for Creative and Performing Arts in Buffalo through a scholarship. In the United States, she expanded her network and met some of the best composers, such as John Cage, Giacinto Scelsi, and Morton Feldman. Among them, John Cage greatly influenced her music and compositions. Her time in the United States also enabled her to experience downtown New York music, which was another significant influence that led to her continued involvement in the field of improvised music.

Some of her notable collaborations in the field of contemporary music are with Pierre Boulez, Merce Cunningham, John Cage, and Giacinto Scelsi. Among them, John Cage and Giacinto Scelsi were the biggest influences in her life and music. In an interview, Joëlle Léandre said that John Cage was her spiritual father and changed her perception of sound and music. In another interview, she tells how Giacinto Scelsi allowed her to discover her own music and how his music transported her into a new world of improved consciousness. In the field of jazz music, she collaborated with Derek Bailey, William Parker, and Sebi Tramontana. Her music was owned and distributed by different music labels, including FMP, Leo, RougueArt, and Red Toucan. Some memorable songs and albums she released throughout the years include Instant Replay, Les Douze sons, Trios, Sweet Zee, Frerebet, Joelle et Tetsu, Philippe Fenelon, Voyages, etc. Some of the recent releases include Can You Hear Me and Unleashed. She has also performed live at the Tampere Jazz Festival twice, where popular international artists compete with each other.

Joëlle Léandre is also the member of European Women's Improvising Group (EWIG). The group evolved from the Feminist Improvising Group, and Joëlle Léandre joined the group in 1983. In the early 1900s, she co-founded Les Diaboliques with Irene Schweizer and Maggie Nicols, who were her long-time musician friends. Besides that, she also teaches several classes in prestigious universities about contemporary and improvised music. She has lived in France, Germany, and U.S during her lifetime, teaching at academic institutions in the religions and playing concerts. In 2002, she was invited to Canada as a visiting professor for music and composition."

-Joelle Leandre Website (https://www.joelle-leandre.com/biography/2/)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Cales I 8:36

2. Cales II 8:56

3. Cales III 7:59

4. Cales IV 10:26

5. Cales V 6:21

6. Cales VI 7:07

7. Cales VII 4:31

8. Cales VIII 5:14

Related Categories of Interest:


Ayler Records
Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Jazz
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Stringed Instruments
Unusual Vocal Forms
Solo Artist Recordings
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