Search - Philippe Saisse Acoustique Trio :: My Favorite Songs

Entirely enjoyable

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 11/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A contemporary keyboardist with credits encompassing the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Chaka Kahn mainly playing acoustic piano; a brilliant bassist who's graced uncounted jazz sessions who "can play an acoustic bass and make it sound like an electric bass" (according to the liner notes--this is a virtue??); and a Hip-Hop drummer "who can also play jazz" (again, from the liner notes). Can this possibly work?Yes. And very satisfactorily, thank you.It may offend the jazz police (too groove-oriented). It may resonate with the smooth jazz crowd (check out the "Customers who shopped for this item also shopped for these items" list: Wayman Tisdale, David Benoit, Voodoo Village, Richard Smith--'nuff said!). So what?Music categories are mainly a crock anyway.Listen. I'm a "jazz guy" and I LOVE this disc (OK, my jazz credibility--such as it is--is now almost certainly thoroughly down the toilet with my fellow Amazon jazz reviewers; again, so what?).Personally, I'm struggling to figure out how this resonates with the David Benoit crowd; there's simply way too much of an authentic jazz esthetic happening here: Saisse over and over again demonstrates entirely respectible jazz bona fides (esp. a sly but deeply delved blues sensibility); David Fink (acoustic bass) needs no introduction to the serious jazz fan--his credits read like a Who's Who of jazz; and Skoota Warner on drums plays a David King (of the Bad Plus) type role in this setting, creating rockish, hip-hoppy grooves that lend this music a smart contemporary feel that too many post-bop sessions to name desperately lack.OK, it occasionally sidles up too close to jazz lite (esp., I'd say, "Once" and "About Time," featuring striking but quite pop-oriented vocals by Nneka Morton), but that's all right. I'm of a mind to think that's less a sin than unnecessarily alienating potential listeners by excessive esotericism, a criticism of Jason Moran's (to these ears nevertheless fine) disc, Black Stars.As I listen to this disc over and over (really--I can't get it out of my player), I'm convinced they're some really fine renditions of (unlikely, for jazz treatments) pop songs: "Summer Breeze," "Alone Again (Naturally)," "Laura," and "I'm Not in Love," the 10CC monster hit. Besides imbuing these chestnuts with a genuine jazz sensibility, Saisse uncovers hidden melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and blooze treasures hidden in them. And isn't that what jazz is all about? I'd say so.And that's why I'm so high on this disc, a real surprise, even a sleeper, for me."

If you love Jazz...

Helen Crump | Denver, CO | 12/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wish I was a prolific writer because my words cannot discribe how great this CD is. I listen to it over and over again and I never tire of it. Trust me, you will love it too. I cannot go into the technical aspects like some people can, I just know good music when I hear it, and this is GREAT music!"