Correct album title: PERIФERIA

Jean-Marc Foussat's label retrieves an obscure gem from the mid-1990s, originally published on another French imprint, In Situ. The starring quartet consists of Daunik Lazro (alto & baritone sax), Carlos Zingaro (acoustic & electro-acoustic violin), Sakis Papadimitriou (piano) and Jean Bolcato (double bass & vocals). Interestingly, the Discogs pages dedicated to this release classify it as "free jazz / free improvisation" but, at the same time, each of the eight tracks is attributed to a lone member of the ensemble, in the composer role.

Since this is indeed describable as a "free composition" album, the truth seems to lie in the middle, as is often the case. The foundation of a set of relationships between different combinations of expert instrumentalists can be constituted by a straightforward proposition, or perhaps a more developed introductory framework. Frequently, a rhythmic design serves as a trigger of creative signals, delineating the harmonic spectrum of reeds and strings (including the piano's) as a palette from which a vibrant range of tones, resonances and percussive elements are extracted.

The sense we got from this record is that of a veritable sleeper: a work that initially may not seem to elicit any particular response in the listener but instead, with subsequent spins, reveals ambience subtleties and timbral properties that make it uniquely appealing. In a blend of unbridled spontaneity and contrapuntal literacy, the performers never overextend themselves as they manage to find the right path within the course of a piece. Lazro's superb pitch control enables him to flutter, dissertate and underscore at any juncture. Zingaro and Bolcato are somehow interrelated in the juxtapositions of strings and bows, and individually capable of getting the most out of their tools, with specific regard to some awesome upper partials. Papadimitriou capitalizes on the piano components to craft sonorities that are now sparse, now immersive, or downright thunderous. Accordingly, episodes such as the consecutive "Inner Earthquake" and "Preparations" best convey the momentum generated by musicians whose technical and intellectual maturity had already been ascertained well over 30 years ago.