Artist.......: Nguyen Le
Album........: Zanzibar
Label........: Universal Music Jazz France
Genre........: Jazz
Catnr........: 0602498410431
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: dΘc.-06-2007
str.date.....: jun.-05-2006
quality......: VBR/44,1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: www.nguyen-le.com
track title time
01. Zanzibar 05:50
02. Sarugaku 01:51
03. Urbi 06:44
04. Isoar 07:49
05. Nomaco 06:31
06. Singe Roi 02:00
07. Omero 05:37
08. Lupi Pilu 07:42
09. Trace 07:30
10. Singe Pelerin 01:40
11. Lucie & Umbrae 05:41
Runtime 58:55 min
Size 76,2 MB
Release Notes:
Le's second album upped the ante by expanding the
quartet with bassist Dean Johnson and drummer Joel
Allouche replacing Johnson and Erskine to a quintet
featuring Paul McCandless. McCandless oboe and
English horn bring a different texture, with parts
of Zanzibar suggestive of how Oregon might sound
were its guitarist to focus on an electric rather
than acoustic instrument. Recorded following a
two-week tour, it's also an even more unified
record than Miracles, where the element of surprise
is replaced by a more firmly cohesive sense of
purpose.
Le is often considered to be a fusion guitarist,
and the reckless abandon of his solo on the fiery
Urbi would certainly support that thought. But
while he's capable of rapid-fire phrases and
screaming bends, there's never a sense of excess.
Even on the somewhat Metheny-esque Isoar, Le's
clean-toned solo runs the gamut from the languid to
the intense, building with purposeful intent and
never resorting to pyrotechnics merely for the sake
of it. There are few fusion guitarists who could
switch gears to the Le-Lande-McCandless trio of
Omero, where McCandless' soaring soprano saxophone
solo is one of many high points.
Le's writing continues to evolve, as does his
approach to sound. The atmospheric Sarugaku, at
just less than two minutes, continues to suggest an
interest in Le's cultural roots through his use of
distinctly Oriental-sounding samples. Le's astute
synthesized sound choices mean that there's nothing
that sounds the slightest bit dated here (or on
Miracles).
They wouldn't come together on record until Vince
Mendoza's Sketches (ACT, 1994), but Le and the
innovative composer/arranger already seemed to
share much in common. The broad intervallic
arpeggios and detailed counterpoint that define
Lupi Pilu come from a similar space as Mendoza's
writing at the time on albums including Start Here
(World Pacific, 1990) and Instructions Inside
(Manhattan, 1991). Improvisational space may be one
part of Le's musical approach, but finely honed
writing is an equal component.
Le also possesses an ability to tailor his material
to the strengths of his group. The detailed yet
lyrical theme to Nomaco takes place in the context
of constant change that provides a complex
foundation for Le's thread-through-a-needle ability
to improvise over them, but when he hands to reins
over to Lande, the rhythm section shifts seamlessly
to a more defined sense of swing.
As much as Zanzibar is a logical progression from
Miracles it's also an album with a different
complexion. Some artists gradually and inexorably
evolve a singular concept, but Nguyen Le is an
artist who rarely stands still for long. His
subsequent discography demonstrates an even more
voracious appetite for diverse styles and contexts,
but these welcome reissues prove it was there right
from the start.