Frederic Viale - L'envol (2020)

What we like about Frédéric Viale is above all his joie de vivre which reflects in his music, as here, on this new album, with original creations, with the exception of two titles: a cover of the cult song “Le Sud” by Nino Ferrer, particularly successful with an interesting rewrite, and “La Tendresse” by Hubert Giraud, a title for which I will be more reserved, no longer supporting these soulless French voices that have invaded the small world of jazz for a few years . However, my opinion is only valid for me, because lots of people appreciate and will appreciate what, in the end, is an album which has all the capacities to interest our American friends by leaving them an image of the voices that the artists and films of the 50s and 60s produced to make French artists better known in their country. This image is still used today as a reference in the USA.
I will therefore focus on talking about the Flight on the purely musical aspect, with the sublime dialogues between Frédéric Viale and guitarist Nelson Verras, the intelligence of Julian Leprince-Caetano's piano playing or even the surprising and very interesting drums playing by Zaza Desiderio, as well as the syrupy sweetness of the bass by Natalino Neto. And I am always very happy to discover the creations of Frédéric Viale, Marc Berthoumieux or even Maxime Perrin, because each of them, with its particularities and its talent, captures the interest of young musicians, pushing them to always go further. . Frédéric Vial's good humor is also reflected in the titles themselves: “Ultime Atome”, “Made In Viale”, and a few others, proof that this boy has a solid sense of humor. And it is such a rare commodity, in these gloomy times, that it is important not to do without!
Without doubt, it is on “Made In Viale” that Frédéric gives himself the most, just like on his superb cover of “Le Sud”, because it is there that one discovers his sources, his dreams, and its poetic form.
The editors of Bayou Blue Radio and Paris-Move will give the note of “4 stars” to this very beautiful album which, from our point of view, would have been even more interesting if there had been, for example, the presence of Michele Hendricks, who certainly could have brought an even more invigorating touch to this album. But let's not sulk our pleasure, and know that we highly recommend this CD which will be released at Socadisc on November 27, 2020.