Isabelle Olivier - Impressions (2025)

A harp-led tribute to Coltrane, Impressionism, and jazz, Isabelle Olivier's album blends acoustic textures and electronics in a luminous soundscape.
Impressions, Isabelle Olivier's twelfth album, is a deeply personal and innovative tribute to John Coltrane's iconic composition of the same name. Rather than replicate its spirit, Olivier reimagines it through her unique artistic lens, blending diverse musical and visual inspirations into a cohesive, poetic whole.

At the heart of this project lies the harp--transformed here into an Aeolian harp, evoking the delicate, wind-like resonance of nature. This ethereal core is enriched by the subtle textures of a string quartet, the rhythmic vitality of piano, accordion and drums, and the discreet presence of electronics that lend a contemporary timbre to the work. The result is a soundscape that feels both intimate and expansive.

Olivier's vision extends beyond music. The Impressionist movement across the arts served as a guiding force, notably in the influence of Mary Cassatt's painting The Boating Party, which she encountered at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. Musical echoes of Ravel's Forlane, rearranged in an unconventional 5/4 by Johan Renard, provide structural intrigue. A Piazzolla-inspired tango nods to Nadia Boulanger's pedagogical legacy and the emotive depth of Argentine tradition.

Improvisation is not abandoned but recontextualised--anchored in jazz's spontaneity yet tethered to the album's dreamlike unity. Each musician involved contributes to this balance of tradition and experimentation, among them Johan Renard, Baptiste Thiebault, Gilles Olivesi, and others, forming a true ensemble of interpretive depth.

Far from being a simple homage, Impressions is a celebration of artistic confluence--jazz, classical, visual arts, and contemporary sound all interwoven. It reaffirms Isabelle Olivier's place as a singular voice in modern music, offering a contemplative yet emotionally charged journey into sound.