Raphael Pannier Quartet, Faune | The Vinyl Anachronist

Current mood: there are two kinds of jazz musicians, those who have ideas and those who tell you about someone else’s ideas. There’s nothing wrong with the latter group, of course–these are the historians, the ones concerned about a jazz legacy, the ones who were inspired by others and pay constant homage. I’ve been focusing on the former group lately. They’re playing jazz, and you clearly recognize it as such, but it stands on its own. It’s original. Just the other day I reviewed Aimee-Jo Benoit’s intriguing and new album Borjoner, and it was a great example of new ideas. A couple of days later, I had the pleasure of hearing another–the Raphael Pannier Quartet and their fascinating new album Faune. Raphael Pannier is a French drummer, and you know how I enjoy discussing jazz drummers who are also band leaders and composers. It’s all about building foundations and walls and roofs and letting your people fill that space with themselves. His kit is certainly plastered all over the soul of Faune (which is French for “wildlife”)–listening cold, my first impression is “this drummer’s fantastic!” He is quick and inventive and he never stops coming up with those original ideas. […]