Gilles Bernard Quartet: 4 Rue Durocher

Gilles Bernard is a Quebec composer and pianist who is very highly regarded amongst North American jazz musicians. He has released seven CDs as a band leader including his latest titled 4 Rue Durocher. His quartet includes Thiago Ferté (tenor saxophone), Pierre Coté (doublebass) and Louis-Vincent Hamel (drums).

As with most of the jazz albums I have heard this year, the music is top notch. Bernard is a very skillful pianist and wrote all seven compositions. Whether forceful or barely brushing the keys, Bernard's playing takes on various shades and hues. The bopping "Le Vent" is an up-tempo number featuring swirling piano motifs and an awesome solo bass. Similarly "Woog's Blues" is another quickly paced tune with more outstanding bass and sax solos before gently leading into the mellow intro of "Reine Des Cimes" with its enchanting piano soon developing into a quicker pace having major contributions from all musicians. The extended bass solo and richly toned sax are certainly highlights. Other strong tracks include the relaxing and moody jazz of "Agathe", the punchy sax led rhythms and tricky drum work in "L'enigme Du 401 Boulevard Charest Ouest" and the wonderful display of piano in "Marie (Intro)".

This is Bernard's third release for Effendi Records and it's a good one. 4 Rue Durocher is modern post-bop jazz played with passion and gusto and will sit well in any well rounded jazz collection. Recommended.

Track Listing:
1. Agathe
2. Lénigme Du 401 Boulevard Charest Ouest
3. Marie (Intro)
4. Marie
5. Le Vent
6. Woog's Blues
7. Reine Des Cimes

Added: October 7th 2016
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Label's Official Site
Hits: 1617
Language: english

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