Les Esprits Oubliés

Review

Veteran alto-saxophonist Rémi Bolduc is based in Montreal where he is the head of the jazz department at McGill University. A virtuoso with an individual sound of his own and an adventurous style that is full of passion while sometimes hinting at Eric Dolphy (although without the wide interval jumps), Bolduc made his first recordings in 1989. He has led at least 11 albums since 1994 (ten since 2000) including a duet recording with pianist Kenny Werner and tributes to Charlie Parker and Dave Brubeck.

Les Esprits Oubliés teams Bolduc with tenor great Jerry Bergonzi (they made an earlier album together back in 2007) and a versatile rhythm section comprised of pianist Marie-Fatima Rudolf, bassist Ira Coleman, and drummer Jim Doxas. The ten Bolduc originals begin with two pieces where an infectious but not predictable rhythmic groove accompanies the heated Bolduc and Bergonzi solos. After that the music mostly becomes straight ahead post-bop including the relaxed title cut (a ballad that inspires lyrical improvisations), “Liberte De Mouvement” (partly based on a minor blues), and a very exciting and uptempo “Not So Long Ago.” The CD gets more intense and explosive as it evolves, with “Tectonic Plates” and “In Love Like Someone” containing plenty of fireworks, particularly during the leader’s solos. While Bolduc is the main soloist, Bergonzi gets his spots, pianist Rudolf is quite impressive, and the team of Coleman and Doxas consistently are strong assets in making the music quite stirring.

Les Esprits Oubliés is easily recommended to listeners who enjoy high-powered modern jazz.

~by Scott Yanow

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