International Jazz Day: a place for women
According to the UN, Monday April 30 is International Jazz Day. Despite the sea spray, the power of the niche and the occasional desperate blue note, creative hope is still very much alive. Proof of this is the new, gentle performance by young tenor saxophonist Chantal de Villiers.
If you like jazz a little, a lot, passionately or madly, this little gem will certainly fall into your hands. Her playing inevitably evokes Stan Getz, Lester Young and a touch of the late Barney Wilen, Chantal de Villiers has really raised the bar, if we are to compare her first effort.
A dialogue with pianists
The absence of rhythmic support is offset by the strength of the pianists, and not the least. In the course of the tracks, we find the touch of Taurey Butler, a heady performer for whom swing is at the heart of his playing, François Bourassa, whose finesse is expressed with generous clarity in the immense I Love You Porgy, and then the veteran and father of the performer: Burt de Villiers. Oscillating between the swing of the good old days and poetic accents, the saxophonist expresses simplicity and tenderness, with that touching jene sais quoi.
Let’s be happy, the talent is still there. ~ Le Journal de Montréal – by Christophe Rodriguez (translated from french)
