Music is best served as a layered art. While the solo performer has their time and place, collaborations create something different; the egg to the cake. On "Ways Out", Parisian bassist Claude Tchamitchian collaborates with Daniel Erdmann (Saxophones tenor and soprano), Régis Huby (Violin, Electric Violin), Rémi Charmasson (Electric Guitar) and Christophe Marguet (Drums) to produce a collection of recordings which are more outstanding for their unique charms than they are for their impressive technical accomplishments.
"Les volcans du paradis", a three-part piece that ebbs and flows in a suspenseful narrative, is a broad musical experience, and one is bound to have several emotional revelations on close listen. There are sections of Part 2 which are acidic in their sophisticated jazz-as-math-rock aggression, while Part 3 offers some stunningly tranquil moments. "The useless fights of the broken poet Part 1" is a whimsical cut, with its prancing lines and comforting repetition, whereas "The useless fights of the broken poet Part 2" is a singular experience, bridging improvisational jazz with shredding rock and roll. Listening to Charmasson wail on the fretboard while Marguet drums like a machine, Erdman's sax finds gold, and Tchamitchian's rhythmic bass strikes ensure this is an ensemble piece where no member outshines the other.
"Ways Out" is an idiosyncratic and whimsical approach to contemporary jazz, and there's enough character in these numbers to keep you company over and over again.
★★★★
Reviewed by Jay Honeycomb on 2022-06-13
Rating: 4