Free Human Zoo – “Aïki Do Rémy”

 

Free Human Zoo - "Aiki Do Remy"I’m not gonna have much for you on this one, but I’ve been captivated by Aïki Do Rémy, the debut EP of Free Human Zoo, and so I wanted to get in a quick mention of it.

As best I can tell, this is a septet that employs two guitarists or, more likely, a sextet that rotates the guitarists depending on the composition.  This music is highly melodic, and switches between expressions of moody contemplation and joyful unrestrained motion.  Very much a jazz-rock blend, with perhaps the influence of the latter being the stronger of the two.

This, I believe, are the musicians who perform on this recording…

Your album personnel:  Samy Thiebault (tenor sax, flute), Patrice Kornheiser (piano, clavier), Gildas Martin (guitar), Laurent Skoczek (trombone, effects), Nicolas Feuger (electric bass), Dan Decrauze (guitars), and Gilles Le Rest (drums).

The album opens with “Cœur Céleste,” a song that maintains an urgency even in the presence of melodic trombone purrs and saxophone sighs.

“Corps Léger” opens with a joyful bounce that saxophones and guitar flutter and dart above.  An up-tempo song that offers up rich textural rhythms, and meshes influences not that far removed from the exhilarating work of fellow country-person Anne Paceo and her outstanding album Yôkaï.

“Doute” begins with introspection, but then shifts into a higher gear, and the melody shows its able to operate at any speed.  They build with repetition, slowly, and with a purposeful direction that leads right into the album’s final tune “Danse Circusséenne,” which uses the repetitive pattern of the previous song as a launching pad into something far more dynamic rhythmically.  The song’s cheerful demeanor gives it license to tinker with the melody, expressing it with a kaleidoscopic motion that renders a thrilling conclusion to this captivating album.

Released on Ex-Tension Records.

Jazz from France.

Available at:  eMusic | Amazon MP3