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Simon Moullier: Isla
Simon Moullier

On his third full-length, vibraphonist Simon Moullier shows remarkable maturity for someone not yet thirty years old; if anything, he plays with the kind of authority and finesse we associate with jazz vets twice his age. He's one of a number of young artists returning the instrument to prominence, among them Sasha Berliner and Joel Ross, but what Moullier's doing impresses at a more general level. While his technical command is never in doubt, the clarity of vision he brings to his projects positions him at an extremely high level of jazz artistry.

A graduate of both Berklee College of Music and the Herbie Hancock Institute (formerly the Monk Institute), the French-born, NYC-based vibraphonist made an auspicious debut with 2020's Spirit Song and followed it a year later with the covers project Countdown. Whereas the debut featured a quintet with saxophone and the sophomore effort focused on trio interplay, Isla features quartet arrangements coupling Moullier with Lex Korten (piano), Alexander Claffy (bass), and Jongkuk Kim (drums). The set returns the focus to Moullier originals, Fred Coots's “You Go To My Head” and Mercer Ellington's “Moon Mist” aside.

Moullier's playing is grounded in his study of classical percussion in Nantes, France but has grown exponentially since he migrated across the Atlantic and shared the stage with figures such as Herbie Hancock, Buster Williams, and Gerald Clayton and recorded with Kendrick Scott, Miguel Zenon, and Dayna Stephens. Performing at clubs in NYC and elsewhere has further contributed to his evolution. In titling the album Isla, the Nantes, France native pays tribute to his roots near the sea, a move that imbues the material with a subtle nostalgic quality. It would be a mistake, however, to construe that as a desire to return to the place where he grew up when he's happily ensconced in New York. The milieu he's now in—geographically, personally, and musically—isn't an adopted home but home period. The connection he has to his bandmates is shown in the chemistry exhibited in the eight performances, be they hard-swinging or ballads.

“Empress of the Sea” sets the tone with a radiant statement that feels both contemporary and rooted in tradition. Buoyed by a bright waltz pulse, the quartet's playing oozes an almost tropical splendour, with each member critical to the expression—even if it's Moullier's smooth execution that leads the way. The listener now captivated, the four segue into the title track, the attack slightly more aggressive but perpetuating the sound and tone of the opener. As Moullier solos, the attention oscillates between his swinging expression and the muscular thrust generated by Claffy and Kim until the focus shifts to Korten for his own deep-digging turn. “Enchantment” exchanges intensity for dreaminess, the leader here attempting to replicate the feeling of time suspension a visit to the seaside area where he grew up engenders.

Moullier's choie of covers is inspired, as is the group's handling thereof. Those delicious melodies of “You Go To My Head” sound new when the tune's recast as a seductive bolero dance number, and the laid-back treatment given “Moon Mist,” a ballad from the Ellington Orchestra songbook of the early '40s, entices for its bluesy sultriness. Elsewhere, the skipping groove powering “This Dream” makes good on Moullier's comment that the material was conceived “almost like a Radiohead melody.”

Given the evidence, the quartet Moullier's assembled is one he should definitely hold on to. As a unit, it's mobile and flexible, and the rapport between the four is terrific. Even better, as this wide-ranging release reveals, Korten, Claffy, and Kim are up to whatever stylistic challenge the leader throws their way. The fluidity with which the four burn through “Phoenix Eye” makes for exciting music, but the Milton Nascimento-inspired “Heart” shows they're just as capable of sensual languor when the material calls for it.

February 2023


	Simon Moullier: Isla Simon Moullier On his third full-length, vibraphonist Simon Moullier shows remarkable maturity for someone not yet thirty years old; if anything, he plays with the kind of authority and finesse we associate with jazz vets twice his age. He's one of a number of young artists returning the instrument to prominence, among them Sasha Berliner and Joel Ross, but what Moullier's doing impresses at a more general level. While his technical command is never in doubt, the clarity of vision he brings to his projects positions him at an extremely high level of jazz artistry. A graduate of both Berklee College of Music and the Herbie Hancock Institute (formerly the Monk Institute), the French-born, NYC-based vibraphonist made an auspicious debut with 2020's Spirit Song and followed it a year later with the covers project Countdown. Whereas the debut featured a quintet with saxophone and the sophomore effort focused on trio interplay, Isla features quartet arrangements coupling Moullier with Lex Korten (piano), Alexander Claffy (bass), and Jongkuk Kim (drums). The set returns the focus to Moullier originals, Fred Coots's “You Go To My Head” and Mercer Ellington's “Moon Mist” aside. Moullier's playing is grounded in his study of classical percussion in Nantes, France but has grown exponentially since he migrated across the Atlantic and shared the stage with figures such as Herbie Hancock, Buster Williams, and Gerald Clayton and recorded with Kendrick Scott, Miguel Zenon, and Dayna Stephens. Performing at clubs in NYC and elsewhere has further contributed to his evolution. In titling the album Isla, the Nantes, France native pays tribute to his roots near the sea, a move that imbues the material with a subtle nostalgic quality. It would be a mistake, however, to construe that as a desire to return to the place where he grew up when he's happily ensconced in New York. The milieu he's now in—geographically, personally, and musically—isn't an adopted home but home period. The connection he has to his bandmates is shown in the chemistry exhibited in the eight performances, be they hard-swinging or ballads. “Empress of the Sea” sets the tone with a radiant statement that feels both contemporary and rooted in tradition. Buoyed by a bright waltz pulse, the quartet's playing oozes an almost tropical splendour, with each member critical to the expression—even if it's Moullier's smooth execution that leads the way. The listener now captivated, the four segue into the title track, the attack slightly more aggressive but perpetuating the sound and tone of the opener. As Moullier solos, the attention oscillates between his swinging expression and the muscular thrust generated by Claffy and Kim until the focus shifts to Korten for his own deep-digging turn. “Enchantment” exchanges intensity for dreaminess, the leader here attempting to replicate the feeling of time suspension a visit to the seaside area where he grew up engenders. Moullier's choie of covers is inspired, as is the group's handling thereof. Those delicious melodies of “You Go To My Head” sound new when the tune's recast as a seductive bolero dance number, and the laid-back treatment given “Moon Mist,” a ballad from the Ellington Orchestra songbook of the early '40s, entices for its bluesy sultriness. Elsewhere, the skipping groove powering “This Dream” makes good on Moullier's comment that the material was conceived “almost like a Radiohead melody.” Given the evidence, the quartet Moullier's assembled is one he should definitely hold on to. As a unit, it's mobile and flexible, and the rapport between the four is terrific. Even better, as this wide-ranging release reveals, Korten, Claffy, and Kim are up to whatever stylistic challenge the leader throws their way. The fluidity with which the four burn through “Phoenix Eye” makes for exciting music, but the Milton Nascimento-inspired “Heart” shows they're just as capable of sensual languor when the material calls for it. February 2023