ERIK TRUFFAZ
The Walk Of The Giant Turtle (Blue Note)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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On his new release, trumpeter Erik Truffaz takes a step away from his drum & bass adventures toward a sound that's in many ways more organic, although still charged with electricity and adventure. The ten compositions on The Walk Of The Giant Turtle are jointly credited to Truffaz's quartet (including Marcello Giuliani (bass), Marc Erbetta (drums) and Patrick Miller (Fender Rhodes & piano)) and were developed from improvisations that were later refined in performance before making the recording. That's where the organic feel comes from - the music is a joint creation that was allowed to grow and flow in the hands of the musicians. The electricity comes from the instrumentation and effects - this is not music that could be made acoustically. The adventure is two-fold. Certainly the explorations undertaken by the quartet are adventurous, but there's adventure for the listener as well. This is music to be swept away by, a performance to be absorbed whole, and it has the potential to be transformative.

Comparisons to Bitch's Brew-era Miles continue for Truffaz, and they're not completely unfounded, but he and his colleagues are engaged in an artistic journey that's simply too creative to be bound by reference to its antecedents. The Walk Of The Giant Turtle shows impressive progress on Truffaz's path to a definitive statement of his individuality and creative vision.

Track List:

Scody Part I * Scody Part II * King B * Flamingos * Turiddu * Next Door * Belle De Nuit * Wilfried * Seven Skies * The Walk Of The Giant Turtle

© 2003 - Shaun Dale