Coming off her fabulous 2021 release At Souillac en Jazz, bassist Joëlle Léandre has delivered another entrancing solo release. Recorded live at Kunstraum Walcheturm at Zurich's Taktlos-Festival, Zurich Concert continues to push free improvisation into mystical realms that Léandre seems to conjure at will. It is hard to identify exactly what it is that distinguishes her work from that of other bassists. She gets a big sound, layering tones into something that sounds less like a chord and more like a single shuttering line of convergence. She runs up and down the bass with an intentionality and sheer force that many bassists only ever approach. She plays with a gravity and confidence that makes her solo work almost sacred.
Zurich Concert continues this trend. Much of the album is comprised of heavy arco work. Léandre has proven her chops and vision here many times before. She has a unique sense of melody that must emanate from her classical training, at least in part. "Zurich Concert 1" is a perfect example of this. She showcases her dexterity in a range of moods — jaunty, nervous, accepting — while repeating techniques and phrases in a manner that evokes new music's dramatic patience. She also does not shy from thick, droning passages, which, when extended, seem to open more space than they fill. And, of course, when moved, Léandre adds her singular vocals, which are equal parts operatic, incantatory and primal. "Zurich Concert 5" is the notable exception. For the first half, Léandre abandons the bow for her fingers, plucking out powerful strutting lines. By the end of the piece, however, she has returned to her bow for an extended passage that is both plangent and hopeful. One hears the classical influence most strongly here, as she staggers the line between contemporary minimalism and Copeland, or some other early 20th century creator of orchestral music for the people. Léandre, of course, is no orchestra, but a single person. She is, however, much larger than life, as is her sound.
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