Articles
Spotlight 10
Ten Favourite Labels 2013

Albums
52 Commercial Road
Chantal Acda
David Åhlén
Daniel Bortz
Peter Broderick
Brass Mask
bvdub / bvdub & loscil
Colorlist
Dale Cooper Quartet
Cuushe
Jack Dangers
Deco
Deetron
DFRNT
Egbert
The Foreign Exchange
Nils Frahm
Bjarni Gunnarsson
Robert Haigh
Marihiko Hara & Polar M
John Heckle
Arve Henriksen
Joy Wellboy
Kaboom Karavan
KILN
Land of Kush
Jessy Lanza
Last Days
L.B. Dub Corp
Lights Dim with Gallery Six
Livity Sound
Moskitoo
MUfi.re
Oddisee
Om Unit
Ø [Phase]
Raudive
Matana Roberts
Sakamoto + Deupree
Secret Pyramid
Quentin Sirjacq
Sleeper
Sonicbrat
Special Request
Stratosphere & Serries
Thisquietarmy
Ricardo Tobar
Tom Trago

Compilations / Mixes
Foundland
In The Dark
Mathias Kaden

EPs / Cassettes / Singles
Anduin
Anile / Lm1 & Kharm
Cursa
Gerwin & Nuage ft. 2Shy
Hessien
Jon McMillion
Miaou

CD-Vinyl-DVD
Seaman and Tattered Sail

Quentin Sirjacq: Bright Days Ahead
Schole

Largely eschewing the melancholy that often characterizes piano-centered albums, Bright Days Ahead lives up to the promise of its title. Following upon French composer / pianist Quentin Sirjacq's 2011 debut album La Chambre Claire, the new release is a generally joy-filled affair, though, truth be told, it's not exclusively a pure piano recording but rather one that mixes solo pieces with chamber ensemble performances. Two other details characterize the release: the fact that it's a soundtrack, for one, (specifically, to the French film Les Beaux jours) and that its sixteen pieces clock in at a svelte twenty-five minutes for another. The recording's brevity isn't a crippling issue in itself; however, two of the solo piano pieces are so brief that they barely register as fragments, and hearing them elaborated upon would have been welcome. “Hotel” and “Soliloquy” are each less than half-a-minute long and thus could have withstood further development for the recording release.

Directed by Marion Vernoux and starring Fanny Ardant, the film traces the events in a recently retired woman's life when Caroline visits a senior center (named Les Beaux jours) and, instead of partaking in the center's customary activities, develops an amorous relationship with Julien, a young and carefree ladies' man. Endearingly melodious and harmonious, Sirjacq's breezy compositions draw upon classical and acoustic jazz traditions and often evoke the mood of a quintessential 1960s French romance (never more so than during “Hide-and-Seek,” which alternates between uptempo jazz passages and moments of wistful longing). In the chamber settings, painterly dashes of woodwinds and strings subtly enhance the pianist's lilting patterns, and both joy-filled and nostalgic moods are powerfully evoked, with the high-spirited “Swimming and Laughing Bonus Track” (where traces of klezmer seemingly surface) and wistful “Beachfront” respective examples.

No egoist, Sirjacq isn't shy about sharing the spotlight with his guests. “Bright Days Ahead Opening” for example, highlights the contributions the double bassist, strings, and woodwinds players bring to the project, while the brief “With the Wind” is scored for strings only. All told, Sirjacq's refined collection is another high-quality addition to the Schole discography, even if some of its sixteen pieces might have been longer.

November 2013