By Stef Gijssels
Our third iteration of the "Sculpting Silence" series, brings us to France, for a trio with Alexandra Grimal on saxophones, voice, harmonium, nōkan, shakuhachi, Naoto Yamagishi on percussions and Alexandre Saada on piano and harmonium.
The title, Marée Basse, is French for “low tide”: the moment when the sea withdraws, leaving behind a wide, empty stretch of beach scattered with shells, tiny creatures, and fragments the waves have carried ashore. The music evokes much the same landscape. It takes this open space for granted, allowing the notes of saxophone, piano, and percussion to appear sparsely, sometimes only for brief moments before disappearing again.All three musicians are minimalists, deeply attentive to the overall sound yet reluctant to impose themselves upon it, as though the tones themselves should determine whether, and when, they wish to interact. Every sound feels tender and fragile, unobtrusive and gentle—and often completely absent. Silence is not merely the space between the notes; it is an essential part of the music itself.
This is particularly striking in the thirty-minute second track, where, roughly halfway through, there is almost a full minute of near silence, with only faint crackling sounds barely audible in the background. When the music gradually returns, the instrumentation has subtly shifted: the harmonium introduces a handful of sustained tones, joined by Grimal's wordless singing, equally elongated and sensitive. Towards the end of the piece, the sound becomes fuller and more agitated, as though a sudden gust of wind were stirring the waves and awakening the distant cries of seagulls.
Once again, silence plays an essential role in this music, much as it does in Japanese art, which has fascinated Grimaldi in recent years. Here, absence is not a lack but a presence of its own—a space in which the smallest sounds can emerge, linger for a moment, and then quietly disappear.
Enjoy!
Listen and download from Bandcamp.
0 comments:
Post a Comment