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Alain Mallet: Mutt Slang
ByMallet is joined by a significant array of musicians, with percussionist Jamey Haddad and Jordanian violinist Layth Sidiq particularly valuable in pushing the music beyond conventional jazz parameters. Tali Rubinstein's recorders and Song Yi Jeon's vocals also bring a good deal of character to Mallet's compositions. Whether on the tango-based opener, "Till I Dance (In Your Arms Again)," "Road Signs," an Israeli pop song given a heartfelt treatment by vocalist Veronica Morscher, or "Salif," dedicated to Afro-pop singer Salif Keita, Mallet's colleagues show themselves capable of negotiating multiple rhythmic languages, sounding completely at home in each while avoiding obvious clichés. In addition to Haddad, credit should go to bassist Peter Slavov and drummer Abraham Rounds, both of whom facilitate the album's stylistic boundary-crossing.
While the musicianship on the record is first-rate, this isn't an album that trades on a lot of showy pyrotechnics; the emphasis is always on the melodic foundation of the songs. Even so, there are some fine solo moments found throughout the disc. Alto saxophonist Samuel Batista makes a spirited contribution to "Till I Dance," while his tenor counterpart Daniel Rotem gets a superb turn himself on "Blessed Be the Empty Soul," with a piquant post-bop flavor that energizes the band on one of its most engaging cuts. Mallet gets to stretch out himself on "Salif" with a jaunty, ever-so-slightly funky delivery that enhances the rhythmic potency of the track, while Sidiq's rubato, unaccompanied opening to "Adama" offers a yearning lyricism that is quite affecting. And Song Yi Jeon's wordless vocal performance on her own composition "Spring" is truly impressive, with scintillating energy and flawless technique.
With an album this ambitious and comprised of so many different stylistic modes, it's perhaps inevitable that its cohesion sometimes feels a bit weakened amidst the various idiomatic stops on this colorful journey. But even so, Mallet's all-encompassing musical philosophy is a compelling one, and he's assembled a fine set of musicians to help him realize it.
Track Listing
Till I Dance (In Your Arms Again); Blessed Be the Empty Soul; Road Signs; Alone; The Long Walk Home (Salif Prelude); Salif; Adama; Spring; Elis; BAtukAdA; This Is When I Think About You; Cradle.
Personnel
Alain Mallet
pianoAlain Mallet: piano, keyboards, electronics, lead vocal (12); Peter Slavov: acoustic bass; Jamey Haddad: percussion; Layth Sidiq: violin; Tali Rubinstein: recorders, lead vocal (7), vox (3); Song Yi Jeon: lead vocals; Veronica Morscher: “trans- oceanic” lead vocal (3); Samuel Batista: alto saxophone; Daniel Rotem: tenor saxophone; Abraham Rounds: drums; Jacob Matheus: acoustic guitar (1), electric guitar (2, 3, 7, 8, 10); Leandro Pellegrino: electric guitar (1, 6, 9); Negah: pandeiro (1), congas (5); Gonzalo Grau: xekere (6).
Album information
Title: Mutt Slang | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: ETrain Records