Andy Emler

Andy Emler/François Thuillier: Tubafest (RJAL HS001)

| Tyran Grillo

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Andy Emler
François Thuillier
Tubafest

Andy Emler compositions
The “Cactus” Quartet
Théo Ceccaldi violin
Anne le Pape violin
Séverine Morfin viola
Valentin Ceccaldi violoncello
Duo Fact
Anthony Caillet euphonium
François Thuillier tuba
Evolutiv Brass
Anthony Caillet euphonium
Gilles Mercier trumpet
Nicolas Vallade trombone
François Thuillier tuba
Recorded live at Le Triton, Les Lilas on October 24/25, 2014 by Gérard de Haro et Jacques Vivante
Mixed and mastered at Studios La Buissonne by Gérard de Haro at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines
Mastering: Nicolas Baillard at Studios La Buissonne
Produced by Andy Emler and François Thuillier
Release date: March 1, 2015

Unlike strings, which tend to feel darker and more brooding the deeper they become, there’s something lively and invigorating about brass at its lowest registers. This is certainly true of tuba virtuoso François Thuillier, whose prodigious talents have graced some of La Buissonne’s finest recordings under its own label. After playing the role of bassist in Amly Emler’s outfits for years, Emler decided to put together some new pieces and performances in late October of 2014 as a way of throwing the spotlight on Thuillier and his métier. Thus, “Tubafest” was born, of which three of the five compositions on the program are presented for our enjoyment.

“Tubastone 12023” is the result of an offhanded remark by Thuillier, who once expressed a desire to play with a string quartet. Emler happily obliged by producing this piece for that very combination of instruments. After the strings prime a verdant canvas, the tuba plants its feet firmly to unravel a patient song. With whistles of appreciation (and even a “Yeah, baby” for encouragement), the quintet handles exuberant changes of scenery without skipping a beat. Over the course nearly 22 minutes, they tell the story of something at once urban and rural, an emotional transference of proportions that speak not only to the heart but also the mind.

Emler’s frameworks always leave plenty of room for improvisation, but especially in “Art et Fact 1.” This duet between Thuillier on tuba and Anthony Caillet on euphonium grooves with the energy of a band four times their number, and finds both playing their hearts out throughout this joyful segue into “Un Printemps dans l’assiette.” Here Thuillier and Caillet are joined by trumpeter Gilles Mercier and trombonist Nicolas Vallade. The mood is altogether whimsical yet rigorous, showcasing the musicians’ freedom of expression and the rock-solid foundations of their craft, as well as the fullness of Thuillier’s narrative power. It ends with kisses, as if bidding us farewell.

Each world Emler creates can be counted on for being vivaciously resolute, but in this case he has written for a soloist who understands that inner drive in a most focused way. A dose of joy when we need it most.

Andy Emler MegaOctet: A moment for… (RJAL 397032)

| Tyran Grillo

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Andy Emler MegaOctet
A moment for…

Andy Emler piano, conductor
Claude Tchamitchian double bass
Eric Echampard drums
François Thuillier tuba
François Verly marimba, percussion
Laurent Dehors tenor saxophone
Guillaume Orti alto saxophone
Philippe Sellam alto saxophone
Laurent Blondiau trumpet
Recording, mixing and mastering, Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-fontaines, France
Recorded December 21/22, 2017 and mixed February 28 & March 1, 2018 by Gérard de Haro, assisted by Anaëlle Marsollier
Mastered by Nicolas Baillard at La Buissonne Mastering Studio
Steinway grand piano tuned and prepared by Alain Massonneau
Drums technician: David Grail
Produced by Gérard de Haro and RJAL for La Buissonne and La Compagnie aime l ‘air
Release date: October 5, 2018

Andy Emler returns to both the pianist and composer’s chair with his MegaOctet for a session of fresh, awesome material. Those who’ve followed Emler and his aptly named ensemble’s journey thus far will know that expectations are only made to be surpassed. A moment for… delivers, and then some.

One look at the set list and you’ll notice grammatical particles orphaned after many of the titles. While some, like “5 Series… of,” may seem like incomplete thoughts, there’s nothing incomplete in the album’s balance of airy grammar and deep punctuation. “Move out… if” serves up a smorgasbord of what Emler and friends are capable of at their collective best: rhythmically and melodically satisfying music that grabs us by the hands and swings until left and right become indistinguishable. Percussionist François Verly steps lithely across the marimba like feet over hot coals and sets up the seedier atmosphere of “Dirty Mood… so.” This tune meshes well with Emler’s ability to craft forward-moving vehicles and includes a choice solo by the one and only François Thuillier. The tuba master engages in hi-res expositions in “Move in… or”’ and “Flight Back… and,” the latter noteworthy for its punch of theatrical voices.

The rhythm section of bassist Claude Tchamitchian and drummer Eric Echampard shores up the tide of “Stand-Up and… blow,” the watery feel of which spurs along the vessel of Laurent Dehors’s soulful tenor saxophone. That tides reaches neap status in the title track, where patience and honesty rule the day. This leaves us to devices of “By the Way,” a caravan ride across a desert of horns who build (as they always do) to peak performance.

A moment for… is both music of and about the moment. It’s also significant for showing the MegaOctet at its most synergistic. Working as one body, Emler and his crew do nothing without consideration of the family. This is their mission statement.

Andy Emler: Running backwards (RJAL 397028)

| Tyran Grillo

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Andy Emler
Running backwards

Andy Emler piano
Marc Ducret electric guitar
Claude Tchamitchian double bass
Eric Echampard drums
Recorded live at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines, on November 17/18, 2016 by Gérard de Haro, assisted by Anaëlle Marsollier
Mixed at Studios La Buissonne by Gérard de Haro and Andy Emler
Mastered by Nicolas Baillard at Studios La Buissonne
Produced by Gérard de Haro & RJAL for La Buissonne and la Compagnie aime l’air
Release date: May 19, 2017

After two magnificent albums with his powerhouse MegaOctet, pianist-composer Andy Emler strips his adaptive profile down to its essentials alongside guitarist Marc Ducret, bassist Claude Tchamitchian, and drummer Eric Echampard. What he loses in numbers he makes up for in variety, spanning the gamut from ambient to postmodern funk at the flick of a switch.

Ducret is a detail-oriented guitarist whose microscopically attuned improvisations somewhat recall those of Derek Bailey. His, however, are possessed of a uniquely lyrical quality that marks the surfaces of everything they touch with honest fingerprints. His “Sphinx 2” opens the record unaccompanied before the quartet jumps into fine form on the title track. In unison with Emler’s right hand, he exudes quantum energy. Tchamitchian flexes and breathes at the center of it all, while Echampard pulls out all the stops to let every cylinder breathe with combustion. Soloing across the board is confident yet leaves plenty of room for the listener to unplug and unwind. And speaking of unplugging, Ducret himself goes acoustic in “Sad and beautiful” (also the title of Emler’s previous trio outing for La Buissonne) for a delicate yet emotionally direct sound. Here, as in “Marche dans l’autre sens,” guitar and piano banter like siblings, while “Lève toi et… Marc” finds them molding each other into a dynamic rollercoaster—out of water into flame and back again.

As one often finds in Emler’s oeuvre, quiet seeds yield phenomenal trees and vice versa. The hushed cymbals of “Turn around and don’t look back,” for one, predict an interlocking storm. The bass intro of “Watch your back, Darwin… I mean,” for another, tips the band’s finest synergy into a lyrical twist, laying its head in anticipation of sweet rest.

Andy Emler MegaOctet: Obsession 3 (RJAL 397024)

| Tyran Grillo

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Andy Emler MegaOctet
Obsession 3

Andy Emler piano
Claude Tchamitchian double bass
Eric Echampard drums
Laurent Blondiau trumpet
Guillaume Orti alto saxophone
Philippe Sellam alto saxophone
Laurent Dehors tenor saxophone
François Thuillier tuba
François Verly percussion
Recorded live at Studios La Buissonne on December 16/17, 2014 by Gérard de Haro and Nicolas Baillard
Mixing by Gérard de Haro and Andy Emler at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines
Mastered by Nicolas Baillard
Release date: October 16, 2015

Andy Emler and his MegaOctet return to La Buissonne for Round 2. Despite being the ensemble’s seventh album overall, it feels as fresh as a debut. After the wonders of E total, one can both rightly expect and be surprised by what takes place here. That same feeling of world building is present, but with an even stronger fortification of purpose, of which the tone is dutifully set in “Tribalurban 1.” Emler’s ability to mesh stark dynamic contrasts—from whispers to shouts—has never sounded so organic, and elicits an interlocking of horns and piano that ends with laughter from the band: a brief insight into an underlying camaraderie.

Though recorded in-studio, the album comes across as a live gig—an impression fully implied by announcement of the musicians one by one in the concluding “Die coda.” Before arriving at that whimsical conclusion, we’re introduced to an anatomy of melodically well-toned muscles. The campiness of “Doctor solo” (grounded in the playfulness of my favorite musician in the bunch, tuba master François Thuillier) is echoed in such exciting highlights as “Balallade 2,” in which trumpeter Laurent Blondiau soars high above a vast continent of ideas. Blondiau further delights in “Trois total,” the big band-leaning sound of which gives the listener a bear hug.

The opening splash of “La Megaruse” sets up a fleet-footed run across water by François Verly on marimba. Drummer Eric Echampard and bassist Claude Tchamitchian keep step along the shore, sustaining the same level of uplift from dawn to dusk. This and the 16.5-minute “Tribalurban 2” are phenomenal showcases for the reedmen as well, each lighting a match in that warm kindling only the 70s could have inspired.

If Obsession 3 were a dealer’s table, then I guarantee you wouldn’t find a single poker face among Emler and his committed associates. Instead, they show their smiles and willingly forfeit their advantage, laying down their hands with glee, happier to have played together than won.

Andy Emler MegaOctet: E total (RJAL 397014)

| Tyran Grillo

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Andy Emler MegaOctet
E total

Andy Emler piano
Laurent Blondiau trumpet, flugelhorn
Laurent Dehors tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinets
Thomas de Pourquery alto saxophone and vocal
Philippe Sellam alto saxophone
François Thuillier tuba
Claude Tchamitchian bass
Eric Echampard drums
François Verly marimbas, tabla, percussion
With guest
Elise Caron voice
Recorded and mixed November 2011 and January 2012 at Studios La Buissonne by Gérard de Haro and Nicolas Baillard
Steinway piano prepared and tuned by Alain Massonneau
Release date: May 2, 2012

Andy Emler presents an ambitious recording with his aptly named MegaOctet. E total is more than an aesthetic choice; it’s a mission statement for the wandering pianist and composer, whose every step activates a melody to be lived under its own name.

The set list is divided in two. Part A takes a mosaic approach to its crafting of themes and variations. And despite the massive breadth of experience and ability represented by the full ensemble, there’s an astonishing tendency toward ambient quietude at key intervals. The opening “Good games,” for instance, begins with a ghostly piano and voice before the musicians throw everything they have into the mix across a chain of associations. Tuba virtuoso François Thuillier has a star solo, one that unleashes a vortex of overtones. The title track opens in kindred intimacy, this time with bassist Claude Tchamitchian’s arco cries, later joined by the tabla of percussionist François Verly, Eric Echampard’s drums, and a wonderfully geometric horn section. Emler, for his part, directs the flow of energies from his keyboard around a solo from tenor saxophonist Laurent Dehors. Among the other pre-intermission notables is “Father Tom,” another rhapsody from stillness that showcases Dehors’s discursive skills, now drawing a thread of clarinet through eclectic modes and ever-higher climbs. “Shit happens” is another dose of bright-eyed humor with muscular reed work and guttural vocals, ending in a drum free-for-all.

Part B consists of only two tracks, but offers the most substantial moments of the album. “Superfrigo” is its deepest groove, made clear and present by Thuillier’s uplift over Emler’s fantastic traction, and “Mirrors” (dedicated to Joe Zawinul) spins a web of breath and beat under the banner of vocalist Elise Caron. Subtle percussion and exquisite detailing make this a ride to remember.

If forced to compare (and for those that care), I might describe this as Carla Bley Big Band meets Tim Berne. Such is its combination of whimsy and angular virtuosity, its balance of left and right, and its ability to answer its own questions.

Andy Emler: For better times (RJAL 397007)

| Tyran Grillo

Cover

Andy Emler
For better times

Andy Emler piano
Recorded and mixed August 2008 at Studios La Buissonne by Nicolas Baillard and Gérard de Haro
Mastered by Nicolas Baillard at Studios La Buissonne
Steinway prepared and tuned by Alain Massonneau
Produced by Andy Emler and Gérard de Haro
Release date: November 6, 2008

The La Buissonne debut of pianist Andy Emler is the result of a 15-year friendship with the studio and label director Gérard de Haro, whose encouragement to make a solo album resulted in For better times. It’s a brave and personal session brimming with ideas. Having said that, the result is not a solo album per se. Despite coming from the hands and mind of one performer, multitracking fleshes out Emler’s flexible compositional backbone with well-toned muscles and spontaneous movements. In the opening “There is only one piano left in this world,” we find his instrument taking on the role of drum, backing, and lead, wound like a clock spring and set to mark the passage of time with deep regularity. On top of that he spins a wealth of chimes to titillate the heart and mind. It’s also a meta-statement on the nature of ideas and the tragedy of their erasure. The piano plays on, crying to be heard when silencing threatens to become the norm. In “Fear no more, suffer no more,” he delineates a philosophy of interaction, and in the next two tracks—“Crouch, touch, engage” and “Father and son”—explores the darkest and brightest corners of human relationships. His physical approach gives us a sense of weight and armor, and bids us to strengthen our capacity for love. From the intimate to the grandiose, “Speak up! Tribute for better times” acts out conflict on a global scale, treating the inner strings like a palimpsest for failed arguments. Finally, he leaves on a high note with the dialogic “Let’s create together.” Thus, the ruthlessness of time and those who ignore its lessons is laid out like a meal we fear eating, for to do so would mean admitting our complicity in its creation to begin with. And so, we sing along with Emler, hoping for change, for harmony, and yes, for better times.