Mathis Picard - Live At The Museum (2022)

Live at the Museum is New York City-based French and Malagasy pianist Mathis Picard’s first solo release. It was recorded live at the National Jazz Museum of Harlem in New York City, in January 2019, and it will be released on January 28, 2022, on Outside in Music.

This album is as meta as its cover suggests. In the cover art, you will discover pianos upon pianos, upon parts of pianos, growing into a flower. In the music, you will discover a personal museum of tracks recorded in a museum, growing not into a physical flower but into something as alive and fresh as one.

From the first track, one understands that this album is going to travel far back in time, but it should not be interpreted as a mere picture of the past. The music is uplifted by Mathis Picard’s fascinating sound and interpretation, both of which focus on honoring his predecessors and keeping the fire alive. From compositions by Willie “The Lion” Smith to Maurice Ravel, and from John Lewis to John Williams, and, of course, through Mathis Picard’s own compositions dedicated to Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington, Live at the Museum is a modern release that looks back for the sake of modern enjoyment.

The above quote is perfectly accurate in Live at the Museum; the freedom of interpretation, honoring predecessors, and connecting with them through covers and tributes because he “found support and belonging within the music of these composers” just makes the music inherently brilliant and moving.