Benoit Delbecq - Nu-Turn (2003/2012) [DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC]

Benoît Delbecq is a uniquely gifted French pianist who has created his own music using ideas and techniques from contemporary classical jazz, Pygmy polyphony and European improvisation. He prepares the piano with various materials such as eraser bits and carved wooden twigs and improvises on short, overlapping vamps and patterns; the result is a complex, spacious sound that hardly seems to be emanating from a single instrument. On "Nu-turn", his debut solo release from 2003, Delbecq stretches out on eight astonishingly structured improvisations; the final 11 minute composition is a computer-created ambient “remix” that completely transforms the material.

Highly acclaimed in Europe, Benoit Delbecq leads or co-leads a number of bands (The Recyclers, Karket, Ambitronix, PianoBook) and has releases on Naive, Plush, Deux Z and other labels. He has three previous releases on Songlines: two duos with Vancouver clarinetist François Houle and one leading the Delbecq 5.

Though he has been one of the avatars of prepared piano for over a decade, Benoit Delbecq has only now released a solo album. Nu-Turn (Songlines) is well worth the long wait, a strikingly well-defined recording featuring an immaculate Steinway D piano. Throughout the album, Delbecq's affinity for African and Asian folk music (which is most vividly evident in the timbres created by his driftwood preparations, which suggest indigenous percussion and string instruments) and his Paul Bley-derived lyricism and floating pulse constantly dovetail about one another. This accentuates the exotic, mysterious qualities of Delbecq's music that, in the past, have been tempered in other settings. Propelled by a cool attack, the music lingers in the air like incense, pungent but not overwhelming. Nu-Turn is an excellent way to become familiar with one of the most distinctive pianists on the international scene.

Tracklist:

01 - In Rainbows
02 - In Lilac
03 - On ne dit pas regarder la lune, on dit "luner"
04 - On Laterite
05 - Into Neon
06 - On Embers
07 - Nu-Turn (étude de nu)
08 - In Funfairs
09 - Into White

Tracks "1-8" recorded on December 11-12, 2001 at Recictal Hall, University of British Columbia.
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered in Pure DSD except track "9" which is a 24bit/44Khz remix transfered to DSD.
DSD Engineer: Graemme Brown.

Musicians:
Benoît Delbecq - piano


Thanks to the Original customer!