Release : Manu Codjia - Songlines
Artist : Manu Codjia
Album : Songlines
Genre : Jazz
Source : CDDA
Label : Bee Jazz Records
URL : http://www.beejazz.com
Date : 03-14-2007
Encoder : LAME 3.97 / -V2 --vbr-new
Quality : 184kbps 44100 kHz Joint Stereo
Tracks : 16
Time : 51:21 min
Size : 68.87 MB
1 Lubyes 3:53
2 Jamin' 4:17
3 Ritournelle Part I 2:51
4 Ritournelle Part II 2:09
5 Motion Spiravi 2:46
6 N'yack Stuff Bass Intro 1:11
7 N'yack Stuff Suite 3:40
8 Al Blade 4:48
9 Nage Mute prologue 1:20
10 Nage Mute Part I 3:03
11 Nage Mute Drums interlude 1:45
12 Nage Mute Part II 5:43
13 Nage Mute Epilogue 2:48
14 Roc Ferek 4:03
15 Nicola's Clock 4:06
16 Free Al 2:58
Electric guitarists in jazz sort themselves into two camps. Do you follow the
magisterial Charlie Christian, and favor clean lines that a horn player might
play, using electricity the way Billie Holiday used a microphone to make subtle
nuances more easily heard? Or do you follow the arguably less gifted (but
equally influential) Johnny Smith, embracing fuzz and sustain and all the
wonderful things that pedals can do? After rock and roll had its way with the
instrument, this second path would certainly be the more often traveled.
Guitarist Emmanuel Codjia will have none of these distinctions. On the one hand,
he exploits the sonic capabilities of the electric instrument for all they're
worth, completely at home with the aesthetic contributions of rock and roll, but
also with the gentle sort of sound wash one associates with Bill Frisell. On the
other hand, Codjia constructs his solos drawing on a very melodic conception. It
is interesting but not impossible to imagine many of the improvisations included
on Songlines, his first album as leader, transcribed to the saxophone or the
trumpet.
Many listeners will have their favorite Codjia moment, given the guitarist's
considerable productivity as a sideman in recent years. Mine is his solo on
ôReflection,ö on Christophe Wallemme's Namaste (Bee Jazz, 2006).
For his first date as leader, Codjia could easily have gathered many of his
musical traveling companions in a kind of French jazz all-star extravaganza.
Instead, he has wisely opted for an intimate and far more demanding trio format
with heavyweights Daniel Humair on drums and Franτois Moutin on bass. The
downside of this strategy is that you do not hear on this record the implicit
empathy among musicians that is the fruit of a long partnership. To our benefit,
though, Codjia is kept on his toes by his more experienced sidemen.
Part of the pleasure of listening to Songlines is the insertion of a loud
electric guitar into a relatively intimate acoustic jazz trio you might have
thought more suited to a piano leader. Whether Codjia's playing is steely and
crackling (öN'Yack Stuffö) or dreamy (öAl Bladeö), you hear the bass strings
slapping and the slightest brushing of the cymbals; this is a tribute to
engineer GΘrard de Haro. The multi-part ôNage Muteö appears to feature some
subtle overdubs, but mostly the record sounds live.
Most of the compositions are quite good, which is critical in a small group
setting. At several pointsùöJamin',ö the closing moments of Codjia's solo on
ôN'Yack Stuff,ö the lovely ôAl Blade,ö ôNicolas' Clocköùyou have the feeling
you've heard these melodies before. ôRoc FereköÆs mix of ersatz heavy metal and
bop improvisation is not always as successful, but well worth the effort.