Tom Bourgeois - Murmures (2018)

MURMURES, like the warm breath of someone familiar, whispering softly, gently in your ears. MURMURES, like the sound of an intimate word, like timidly sharing a secret. The saxophone, the guitar, the accordion and the singing design a poetic, idyllic atmosphere. In alliance or alone, they oat smoothly, resembling the movement of the human soul. On the way for looking themselves, they improvise, and finally they encounter utterly during the moments of sharing.

Melancholic and warm at the same time; the music - composed by Tom Bourgeois - passes through several states, in the same manner as humans pass through the stages of life.

In 2016 he teamed up with the singer Lois Le Van, the accordion player Thibault Dille and the guitarist Florent Jeunieaux, as their strongly defined musical style highlights his compositions. The sounds that emerge from this unusual acoustic instrumental formation translate into a true simplicity. The listening, almost naturally, guides us along the story that is already familiar to our ears. Tender, but powerful.

MURMURES is a genuine work of composition and arrangement. Each title highlights the formation, in the form of duo, trio or quartet, to explore the highest possible richness of the sounds.

The program consists of two parts: the first one includes 10 own compositions by Tom Bourgeois. The emphasis is on the harmonic writing and on the French and English texts, interpreted by the vocalist Lois Le Van.

The second part is an arrangement of Maurice Ravel’s quartet for strings in F Major. Completely transformed, the piece was re-written by Tom Bourgeois for his group, giving it a completely new life. The first movement leaves some place for the accordion, the second one for the soprano saxophone. The third movement had been enriched with a text in French, written by François Vaiana and sung by Lois Le Van.

At last, the fourth movement underlines the place of the guitar. The four strings of the quartet by Maurice Ravel becomes a collection of the voices by four different instruments.

With his program, Tom Bourgeois had re-discovered - in his own way - a piece written some hundred years ago, taking into account the modernity of our time. This development is guided by a clear and precise thread: to create something new by transforming something from the past.

Very active on the jazz scene in Belgium and abroad, Tom Bourgeois embarks for the first time his album as leader and as composer. MURMURES is the result of a long work of writing for the acoustic quartet that he had formed in 2016.



Tracklist:
1. Melancholia 05:36
2. Charlie 07:12
3. Créatures (Suite) 09:00
4. Duke Ellington's Sound of Love 04:10
5. Mechanical Boy 05:28
6. The Old Father and the Polaroid 05:50
7. Jeff (3) 04:44
8. Les Petits Cailloux 03:09
9. Transience 04:32
10. Winter 05:38
11. String Quartet M.35: 1. Allegro Moderato 06:49
12. String Quartet M.35: 2. Assez Vif, Très Rythmé 08:01
13. String Quartet M.35: 3. Très Lent 09:15
14. String Quartet M.35: 4. Vif Et Agité 07:46
15. Sonatine M.40: 1. Modéré 02:31

Personnel:
Loïs Le Van : Voix
Thibault Dille : Accordéon
Florent Jeunieaux : Guitare