Pilc Moutin Hoenig-In LA This Week!
Threedom
Motema Records
www.motema.com
By George W. Harris

Jean-Michel Pilc always seems to be considered one of the “up and comers” yet hasn’t quite broken through to the other side yet. Can’t blame him for trying; he’s put out some very intriguing small group and solo material. Here, he’s teamed with his touring team of Francois Moutin/b and Ari Hoenig/dr for 18 songs that take originals and standards and show what a little experimentation can do. The enhanced cd (which includes a video of the band in studio) takes tunes like “Nardis,” “A Foggy Day” and “Afro Blue” and stretch, turn and cajole the melodies like Turkish Taffy, always making the song’s destination recognizable, but changing the mood and direction like a gps gone mad. The depth of interplay between everyone involved is maddeningly impressive, with razor sharp turns on songs like “Confirmation” or “Morning” coming across like a high wired act without a net. The alacrity of these gents, and their ability to go from hard driving bop to Mad Hatter rides at the drop of a coin, and not lose the listener in the process, is quite impressive. This might be the disc to put Pilc over the proverbial top. They’re in concert in LA-check www.jazzbakery.org. for details