''Joëlle Léandre Project'' is a live album by bassist

Joëlle Léandre Joëlle Léandre (born 12 September 1951) is a French double bassist, vocalist, and composer active in new music and free improvisation. In the field of contemporary music, she has performed with Pierre Boulez's Ensemble InterContemporain, and ...

. It was recorded in January 1999 at Sons d'Hiver in

Le Kremlin-Bicêtre Le Kremlin-Bicêtre () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. Le Kremlin-Bicêtre is most famous as the location of the Bicêtre ...

, France, and was released in 2000 by

Leo Records Leo Records is a British record company and label, founded in 1979, which releases jazz from Russian, American and British musicians. It concentrates on free jazz. This label is different from the Leo Records that was formed by Edward Vesala i ...

. On the album, Léandre is joined by pianist

Marilyn Crispell Marilyn Crispell (born March 30, 1947) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Scott Yanow described her as "a powerful player... who has her own way of using space... She is near the top of her field." Jon Pareles of ''The New York Times'' ...

, drummer

Paul Lovens Paul Lovens (born 6 June 1949) is a German musician. He plays drums, percussion, singing saw, and cymbals. He has performed with the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra and Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. He was born in Aachen, Germany. In the early ...

, electronic musician

Richard Teitelbaum Richard Lowe Teitelbaum (May 19, 1939 – April 9, 2020) was an American composer, keyboardist, and improvisor. A student of Allen Forte, Mel Powell, and Luigi Nono, he was known for his live electronic music and synthesizer performances. He ...

, and violinist

Carlos Zingaro Carlos Zíngaro (or Carlos "Zíngaro" Alves, born 15 December 1948) is a Portuguese violinist and electronic musician active in free improvisation. Biography Zingaro studied classical music at the Lisbon Music Conservatory from 1953 to 1965, and ...

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Glenn Astarita called the ensemble "a multinational, all-star entourage of forward thinking and like-minded improvisers," and wrote: "The band often pursues vertical movement in concert with curiously interesting dialogue as they create grooves and motifs that announce a distinct sense of urgency atop temperate crosscurrents... ''Joelle Leandre Project'' is a relatively strong outing, teeming with impassioned interplay and abstract thematic invention." The authors of the ''

Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on compact disc, CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions wer ...

'' stated: "Past associations with all these players guarantee a strong empathy and... she has a partner of equal force and expression in Marilyn Crispell. Using Zingaro and Teitelbaum allows her to create broad and complex soundscapes, but much of the music is unexpectedly spacious and detailed; there is no clutter anywhere." Writing for ''

Jazz Times ''JazzTimes'' was an American print magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade ...

'', Bill Shoemaker commented: "The rule of thumb that the risk of muddled, unfocused improvisations rises exponentially with each additional person on the bandstand doesn’t apply with the stellar company Leandre keeps... To vary the program, Leandre deploys her colleagues in duo and trio configurations throughout the nine improvisations... there is the same keen attention to the unfolding of the music in the full ensemble passages, as well. At full throttle, this ensemble is overwhelming, but its music is just as compelling at a whisper."

Track listing

Composed by Joëlle Léandre, Marilyn Crispell, Paul Lovens, Richard Teitelbaum, and Carlos Zingaro. # "Untitled" – 8:33 # "Untitled" – 4:55 # "Untitled" – 2:40 # "Untitled" – 2:36 # "Untitled" – 5:12 # "Untitled" – 3:43 # "Untitled" – 2:58 # "Untitled" – 9:45 # "Untitled" – 5:12 # "Untitled" – 0:34

Personnel

– bass *

– violin *

– piano *

– keyboards, electronics *

– drums

References

{{Reflist Joëlle Léandre live albums 2000 live albums Leo Records live albums