CD review: Henri Texier – Sand Woman 2018: Video, Photos

The great French double bass player HENRI TEXIER, who now seems to feel at home with the traditional label Bleu, shines on “Sand Woman” again in the quintet. However, his colleagues make it relatively easy for him to run high, because the international ensemble (guitarist Manu Codja was just like son and saxophonist Sébastien Texier on last year’s album “Concert Anniversaire 30 Ans” heard) leaves regardless of tradition, which the old master preserves, no pejorative nostalgia.

“Sand Woman” is at times extremely sporty, but conversely also introverted. Schlagwerker Gautier Garrigue gets carried away early in the program to some solo acrobatics, even if the basic compositional ideas and sprawling improvisations in their respective frames are the main concern of the group. Thus, six overlong tracks have emerged, which lack neither artful inwardness nor feverish joy of playing.

The ingenuity of the protagonists is enormous. They commute between passages at the technical limit and contemplative sections, without losing sight of the core of each piece, be it a striking tone sequence or a groove pattern. Texier continues his high phase in the middle to the end of the 1970s with an urgent, melodic and rhythmically uncommonly creative performance. Logically, “Sand Woman” with the bursting ‘Amir’, the entrusted ‘Les Là-Bas’ and the finale ‘Quand Tout S’Arrête’ three “legacies”, which despite noticeable changes compared to the originals in their fundamentals remain recognizable.

Texier does not need any innovations, especially not those of the forced variety. Mindful of the catchy title track, “Sand Woman” is a thoroughly classic combo-jazz album, which thanks to the informal way in which musicians present themselves when interpreting old as well as unused ideas, could not have come anywhere else than from the present.

CONCLUSION: A jazz quintet album that is completely free from innovation seems relevant to the present than the products of some avant-garde combo tried. There is nothing like a balance between serenity and a continuing hunger for more, both features of the ever youthful bass driver HENRI TEXIER.

1. Amir
2. Sand Woman
3. Hungry Man
4. Indians
5. Les là-bas
6. Quand tout s’arrête

Label Bleu

Henri Texier (b)
Manu Codja (g)
Vincent Lê Quang (ts,ss)
Sébastien Texier (as, cla)
Gautier Garrigue (ds)