This rare double-trio configuration is a ground-breaking encounter between jazz piano and the sonic resources of contemporary classical music, between American tradition and the European avant-garde, but above all between two fantastic pianists (coincidentally, both winners of the Grand Prix du Disque for jazz). Fred Hersch's quest for absolute beauty and impeccable virtuosity have become legendary. Benoît Delbecq is one of Europe's most prominent jazz keyboardists; his compositions and elegant, complex improvisations build on John Cage's prepared piano techniques. Add to this Steve Argüelles' stealthy 'assistance and obstacles' live sampling, and three of the most celebrated rhythm section players of today, and the result is a multi-faceted collaboration, with opportunities for various combinations of duos and trios as well as full-group interaction. The music has its moments of abstraction, its moonlit soundscapes such as "One is Several," but also embraces a jazzier aesthetic, for example the Monkish/Lacyish "Night for Day." 

The project was sparked in 2008 when Fred came to a New York gig Benoît was playing with the John Hébert Trio. They had only met once before but had been digging each other's playing on record. Fred: "The first time I listened to Pursuit I was completely mesmerized - it is an amazing project and it showed me that Benoît is a completely unique pianist, composer and conceptualist." Benoît: "I had a few CDs with Fred including Chicoutimi (with Michael Moore and Mark Helias) which had an immediate and very special effect on me: there was something in Fred's playing I felt more connected to than ever. I've always so admired his rare musicianship and subtle touch and the rhythmicity in his playing." Fred continues: "I suggested that we do something with two pianos, not realizing that he already had a duo project with Andy Milne [Where is Pannonica?, Songlines]. So we thought, what would be novel and a bit outrageous?" Benoît came up with the idea of a double trio including his longtime collaborators Avenel and Argüelles, and Fred had a long history with Helias and Hemingway. Benoît: "The personnel came very naturally. Everybody knew each other already. I had worked with Mark for the Phonetics project and had met Gerry several times and we'd played too. The first minutes of the first rehearsal I remember very precisely, they just showed we'd made a great choice! The music found its flow and freedom from the beginning."

Most of Delbecq's pieces here were written for the group. "I was imagining scenarios and road maps for each tune, although leaving a lot of space for everyone's creativity. I believe I imagined it as a sextet, trying to find enough ideas to make the ideas blossom in an original way for each tune...One of my priorities when I write is to make everybody involved feel comfortable with the material, of course rehearsals were important to assemble the ideas...then it really developed on the bandstand...And Steve's electronics are always bringing something unexpected we react to." ("Tide" is a Delbecq/Argüelles remix.) 

"Lonely Woman" was played as a duo encore one night and worked so well they decided to record it at the studio as the final track. The recording took two days. Benoît: "Drums were in booths on the first day but we agreed it was important to record the whole thing once again the second day but this time all together in the same room. A big part of the record comes from day 2. Not that the music was less strong on day 1, simply the drummers felt less isolated and the music found itself even more easily in term of blending all together." The pianos are somewhat panned in the mix (Hersch left, Delbecq right). Fred: "When I listened back for the first time to the recording, I was struck by both the similarities and the differences between us, especially regarding tone. But there were also places where I was not sure who was playing what! I think we stepped into each other's musical/pianistic world so well." Benoît: "Evidently there are common concerns in both our playing. And I have been influenced by Fred's playing, in particular by this Chicoutimi record where the trio plays in a loose yet so relevant way. What makes us close at certain designated moments is that, I think, we have a related way of breathing inside the lines, or might I say between the lines...Every great player has a sense of dynamics of his/her own - like, creativity in sounds and accents, in phrasing, in ways to play with time or silence. Every parameter has a dynamic relation to every other parameter in music." 

Nice package with a 58-page book imported from Germany!

For Sven-Ake Johansson, the capricious and mercurial character of Paul Klee's texts is not a flaw, but a quality in its own right. His thirteen settings capture precisely this quality of the texts. Johansson's clear diction, his distinct, almost exaggerated elocution, imbues Klee s texts with a lapidary air without stripping them of their personal and intimate nature.

Recorded by Todd Carter May 15th, 2011, live at the Hungry Brain, Chicago.

It was with great sadness that I heard of John Tchicai’s passing in October of 2012. I’d been familiar with his music since the early 1990’s, when as a high school saxophonist I first heard him on recordings with John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, and Don Cherry that truly changed my own life path. But it wasn’t until the spring of 2008 that I actually heard him in person, and had the opportunity to get to know him more personally. 

At that time, I had just left for my first tour of Europe leading one of my own bands, the Rempis Percussion Quartet, on a double bill tour with Mike Reed’s band Loose Assembly. Our first concert was in Hasselt, Belgium at Kunstcentrum Belgie – one of my favorite venues in Europe. As I didn’t have all of the details about the trip until we arrived, I didn’t realize that evening’s concert would be a triple bill with a band led by John until we walked into the soundcheck, and I heard that incredibly personal sound that I knew from so many different records. The experience was similar to seeing a famous painting or statue in person…some sense of disbelief that this presence could actually exist before you. 

Also at that time, Mike and I were helping to organize the Umbrella Music Festival in Chicago, and had been searching for someone special to feature that year. Having not heard John in recent years, I didn’t know what to expect from the concert. The brief soundcheck was great, but maybe he wasn’t playing as well as he used to – many musicians don’t meet expectations after decades of work. As the concert began, Mike and I stood across the bar from each other. After twenty minutes our eyes met. Nothing needed to be said. 

After the concert John and I talked a bit, particularly about the incredible record John made with Johnny Dyani – “Witchdoctor’s Son” - one of my favorite recordings. (The front line of John and Dudu Pukwana on that record is one of the great alto pairings of all time…) His calm and gentle presence, warm eyes, and deep laugh as he described how “energetic” those particular South African musicians had been (perhaps an understatement based on other anecdotes about Pukwana….) made a perfect match for the gorgeously honest and understated saxophone sound I knew so well. 

So it was a huge pleasure when John accepted our invitation to come to Chicago that fall. That visit would be the first of two that John made to Chicago in his last few years – once for the festival, and once as a guest of this working quartet. Both times he made an impression on musicians and audiences here that still resonates.

 

As you can hear on this recording, the expressive strength of John’s sound endures - the tender, searching, bittersweet, yet playful lilt of his phrasing; the tart crispness of his tone; the meandering yet purposeful sense of pitch. All of these were a part of the vision that enabled him to stand up to the sheer force of players like Coltrane, Ayler, and Shepp; not by out-muscling them, but by presenting a completely different idea of what was possible on the instrument. A conception unique enough that although it wasn’t about force or power, it carved out a space in the music that was strong enough to create its own gravitational field. 

This uncompromised sense of self in the presence of some of the most compelling artistic visions of the last century is what will keep John’s own vision alive for many years to come. That vision stands unflinchingly, shoulder to shoulder amongst his peers, and his presence in the music, and among the musicians, will be greatly missed.