With Guillaume Vierset (gtr), Ruben Lamon (db) and Alain Deval (dm), he is on the way to discovering a large part of it.

Very quickly, the new Random House quartet turns out to be kind of radical when it comes to its choices. The search for new sensations leads to an exploration of sound. The bare playing better underlines the sharpness of the melodies. A tendency towards contemplation and intimacy lays the foundations for a contained, intense, post-Coltranian groove that is full of respirations but above all inspiration. The alto sax bounces off the lace-like arpeggios spun by the guitar. The rhythms are constantly bouncing, sometimes discreetly at other times red-hot and always perfectly in tune with the project.

The quartet takes a bold freedom in tone, an openness in the music’s development that leaves plenty of room for ideas and dialogue. This gives the melodies time to find their feet, and for the entwined tempos to take effect. The mood veers between introspection and a spontaneous swing that is full of relief.

There are still zones to be discovered and explored in jazz. Random House is doing just that, without forgetting its roots, nor the swing, nor the groove.