François Moutin, Jean-Michel Pilc and Ari Hoenig (photograph by Anthony J. Branco, courtesy of DL Media)
About two months ago, I received word from one of my sources of the return of Pilc Moutin Hoenig (PMH) with its first album after twelve years. To be honest, twelve years ago I knew nothing about the jazz trio of pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, bassist François Moutin, and drummer Ari Hoening; but I knew enough about my source to request a download. I was not in the least bit disappointed.
The title of the new album is YOU Are the Song, released by Justin Time Records. All ten tracks were “live” recordings, captured on June 11, 2022 in a session at the Big Orange Sheep studio in Brooklyn. The album will be released one week from today; and, as expected, Amazon.com has already created a Web page to process pre-orders.
Three of the tracks are PMH originals. One of them, “Searing Congress,” emerged spontaneously during the recording session as a mashup of three standards: “What is This Thing Called Love,” “Hot House,” and “Take the Coltrane.” That last may have reflected the decision to play John Coltrane’s “Impressions” during the session. Personally, however, I am drawn to jazz musicians that take the music of Thelonious Monk as a point of departure for their own inventions. Monk accounts for two of the tracks on the album, “Straight No Chaser” and “Bemsha Swing,” the latter written with Denzil Best. That second Monk tune resurfaces during the subsequent take on “Dear Old Stockholm,”
What is most important, however, is that sense of engaged spontaneity captured during the recording session. Pilc described that session as follows: “We just started playing and didn’t stop for nearly three hours. We ended up having enough music to make two or three albums.” Anyone that listens for innovative jazz interpretations will easily lock on to YOU Are the Song; and, in response to Pilc’s account of the recording session, that listener will come away wondering when the next album will be released.
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