Alexis French - The Cut (2014) [Hi-Res]

New Zealand-born trumpet player and composer Alexis French has just returned from Montreal, where he completed his Master's degree in Jazz at McGill University. In Montreal, he played regularly with his own quintet, as well as with the Effendi Jazzlab Orchestra, The National Jazz Orchestra of Montreal, The Joe Sullivan Big-band, Kalmunity Jazz Project, The Atomic Big Band, and the Nicolas Bedard Quintet. In NZ he plays regularly with musicians such as John Rae, Lucien Johnson, Jonathan Crayford, Adam Page, Rodger Fox and The Wellington Jazz Orchestra, and leads his own Quintet and Quartet, as well as The Richter City Rebels, The Bayou Brothers, and The Boogaloos. He also teaches Jazz trumpet at the NZSM.

Recorded at McGill University and Studio A in Montreal, Canada, The Cut features some of Montreal's finest young lions. The project began as a part of Alexis' Master's Degree at McGill University's Schulich School of Music. His studies began in September, 2012. Having barely written a blues previously, 18 months later he has this exceptional album to show for it. 'Composition has always been elusive for me, so writing for this album was a long road of creative investigation to find the sounds I wanted. The musicians I collaborated with on this album were as influential as my composition lecturers when it came to crafting and subsequently refining the arrangements, both in the studio and on stage.'

The compositions on The Cut were also influenced by Alexis' teacher (and superb alto sax player), Remi Bolduc, whose refined compositional techniques enabled Alexis to articulate what he was hearing. Many of the tunes were inspired by places and people in Montrea. “Aylmer”, for example, came to Alexis during a conversation over scotch with his good friend Chris Doyle. 'I tried to re-create the conversational interweaving of voices by writing unisons for both horns, and counter-melodies that were intertwined. They have a darkness to them, which stems from being separated from loved ones while enduring a cold, dark, seemingly endless winter. Many of the pieces on this album reflect how I was feeling at the time, and what I was hearing musically.'

While the framework for the compositions on The Cut – their harmonic, rhythmic, and improvisational language – belongs to the Jazz idiom, Alexis is committed to writing music that reflects what he calls 'our stories as New Zealanders', to create a uniquely New Zealand music. Whether this music is called Jazz, or whether we find another name for it, the aim remains the same: to create something that is uniquely ours. 'Rattle has always struck me as a label with a vision to celebrate and champion New Zealand music, to encourage new ideas, new sounds, and to foster New Zealand composers. The work of Jonathan Crayford, Roger Manins and DOG, The Jac, Reuben Bradley, John Psathas, Adam Page, Dave Lisik, and Dan Poynton is a testament to this ethos, and I'm honoured to stand among them, to have my music counted as part of this growing legacy of music that is wholly ours, music that reflects and speaks to this place and this culture.'

Alexis French, trumpet
David Bellemare, tenor saxophone
Nicolas Ferron, guitar
Nicolas Bedard, bass
Mark Nelson, drums

Tracklist:
01. Alexis French - The Schroon (5:14)
02. Alexis French - Metro (10:36)
03. Alexis French - Parc La Fontaine Blues and Greens (9:38)
04. Alexis French - Alymer (8:19)
05. Alexis French - The Second Fall (6:22)
06. Alexis French - The Cut (7:04)
07. Alexis French - Up (5:38)
08. Alexis French - Shakshuka (7:46)