Trombe

"Trombe’s 2019 self-titled debut LP kicked off the Nantes unit’s ongoing two-piece experiment with a short and sweet exercise in minimal brut-jazz, with percussionist Erwan Cornic rattling chains and trinkets just as often as he plays full drum set and Thomas Beaudelin yanking the sax valves like root vegetables. But even though the duo has garnered praise from devout skronk stalwarts like Mats Gustafsson, their particular style has always had a distinct, almost delicate melodicism at its heart, and that’s only become more apparent with this brand new CD Déluge. Take “Flopée” for example, a lengthy track that opens with some of Trombe’s most straightforward free music tumble yet and ends with a serenade so sublime one has to do a double take, with the road between the two points being a relentlessly abstract and unpredictable one. “Foultitude” might be even better, and in spirit approaches the sound of Ayler/Corsano duo I’ve only heard in my dreams.

This is the project’s most diverse and best release yet, and I hope its both inspired and singular approach is an indicator of a new direction in improvised music. I disagree with Takeo Suetomi’s statement that Trombe and others have “become more sophisticated and less jazz-like in their energy”; on one hand it just sounds a lot like AMMrogance (aRowegance?), and on the other, to my ears this stuff is jazzy as all hell." - Jack Davidson.