Review: The Blue Land is Matthieu Bordenave's follow-up to his ECM trio debut and sees the addition of British drummer James Maddren, enhancing the ensemble's airy textural canvas with a more urgent, animated feel. Pianist Florian Weber's improvisations set the tone, displaying inventive tension and release. Bordenave's saxophone weaves a lyrical narrative, punctuated by bassist Moret and Maddren's perceptively timed contributions. The album strikes a delicate balance between tonal and abstract elements, as heard on the ominous title track and the meditative 'Cyrus.' With nods to Coltrane's 'Compassion"'and Jarrett-like piano, the ensemble delivers an intriguing and collectively expressive set of chamber ensemble pieces.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.