Vincent Courtois - A Simple Fall (2025) [Official Digital Download 24/88]

French cellist master Vincent Courtois and Swiss piano wizard Colin Vallon are both inclined to combine lyrical melodies with abstract improvisation. The concept of their debut album was influenced by a domestic tragedy, which inspired the title track (A Simple Fall). However, the tone of the album is not defined by the darkness of grief, but by transcendent beauty and pervading melancholy.
Courtois and Vallon's approach continues the tradition of the cello-piano duo, rooted primarily in classical music, and adds a unique orchestral dimension to this intimate chamber lineup: the cello can equally play the role of a percussion, a harmony, or a melody instrument, while the piano sometimes transforms into a glass harp, a music box, or a viola da gamba. The result is a kaleidoscopic musical material that bridges the gap between classical music, contemporary music, and jazz, and is permeated by the sense of “free fall” inherent in improvisation.
Vincent Courtois has recorded four albums for BMC Records in recent years: Les Démons de Tosca (2019), Carmen Rhapsody (2023), conceived by Aki Takase; Nothing Else (2023) with Daniel Erdmann and Robin Fincker, and Twigs, recorded with Sanne Rambags and Julian Sartorius. The cellist will also appear on the album of Daniel Erdmann's Thérapie de Couple, expected to be released in early 2026.
Colin Vallon has repeatedly shown on his ECM Records albums what is perhaps his greatest strength: the ability to condense any mood or emotion into unusual combinations of sounds.

TRACKLIST

1. Vincent Courtois - Descent
2. Vincent Courtois - BMC
3. Vincent Courtois - A Simple Fall
4. Vincent Courtois - Bariolages
5. Vincent Courtois - Virages
6. Vincent Courtois - Fade
7. Vincent Courtois - Sans retour
8. Vincent Courtois - Floricel
9. Vincent Courtois - Agitato
10. Vincent Courtois - Wait
11. Vincent Courtois - Done and Done
12. Vincent Courtois - Lament



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