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Louis Sclavis - Benjamin Moussay

Unfolding

ECM
Release Date: September 20, 2024

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1 Unfolding  
2 Loma del Tanto  
3 None  
4 A Garden in Ispahan  
5 Siete Lagunas  
6 L'heure de loup  
7 L'etendue  
8 Somebody Leaves  
9 Snow  
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Having previously joined forces on several Louis Sclavis recordings for ECM, including the clarinettist’s last acclaimed album Characters On A Wall, more recently pianist Benjamin Moussay and Sclavis have increasingly shifted their focus onto two-way communication, playing expansive and well-received duo sets throughout Europe. Deutschlandfunk reported on one of their concerts with a rave review, suggesting, “this perfectly harmonising duo focuses on strong contrasts and thrives on empathy and intense exchanges.” Now, in a programme of exclusively originals – two-thirds from the pianist’s pen, the remaining third by the clarinettist – the French duo dreams up a world of chamber conversations that juxtaposes lyrical contemplation with whimsical inventiveness in a joyous, concentrated collaboration. On Unfolding the duo thoughtfully envelopes delicate themes in warm improvisations that never rush, but patiently explore the written material with rare creativity and in fluid dialogues. 

“For this recording we composed exclusively new material,” notes Louis. “I wrote rather simple pieces that allow a lot of improvisation. Because as we've been playing together for over 20 years and in various different projects, we've gotten better and better at expressing ourselves as a duo through improvisation and letting go.” 

Tense atmospheric balance acts, constructed upon fragile, slightly ambiguous harmonic foundations, the clarinettist and pianist’s compositions reveal prudent melodic movements, enveloped by a haunting obscurity that could draw from a broad range of inspirations – reaching from 20th century French composer and organist Olivier Messiaen on the one hand and the chamber elaborations of the legendary Jimmy Giuffre 3 on the other. 

Opening the album is the Moussay-penned title cut “Unfolding”. A soft-spoken invocation, embellished with subtly dramatic changes, the duo’s innovative improvisational approach to this firmly structured theme is representative of the music to come throughout the programme. Benjamin’s “Loma del tanto” begins at a more spontaneous place, with the clarinet and piano reaching for another’s lines, before the downward spiralling melody of the coda is introduced.

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