Faton: La Fievre Monte (CD, 62:42) 1999 GW 3102-AR Great Winds 4145 Byron Street Palo Alto, CA 94306 Another day, another jazz album from an ex-Magma musician. A few weeks ago it was saxophonist Yochk'o Seffer Big Band’s release – a wild and crazy trip through the land of Jazz In Opposition titled YOG 3. Today we’ve got pianist Faton Cahen’s latest entitled La Fievre Monte, a release that comes nowhere close to Seffer’s effort in either musicianship or musical effectiveness. Where Yochk’o was willing to plow his way through thick layers of discordant and disturbing song structures, Cahen seems content to wade through cliché ridden lounge jazz that is not really fitting for someone with his pedigree. One of the things I would expect out of an ex-Magma musician is them being surrounded by top-notch players with chops that’ll knock your socks off. Unfortunately, on “La Fievre Monte,” the music performances are almost all incredibly lackluster – with the exception of violinist Nicolas Krassik’s work, the musicianship here is downright dull. While I’d imagine that these guys can indeed play their instruments at a high rate of skill, they just can’t seem to get it together enough to keep things interesting on La Fievre Monte. There is simply nothing here to challenge the listener; this music would serve well as background music at a nice restaurant, but I don’t think I’d be happy if I paid money to listen to the songs on this release. It’s hard to pick out a particular bright spot on La Fievre Monte - not because it’s an AWFUL release, but because all the songs are just as mediocre as the next. Drummer Bonny and violinist Krassik have a pretty good trade-off on the number “La guerre des homes”, and the band seems to come to life momentarily on this track. But, it’s a short-lived victory, as the following track – “Les anges d’Epinal” sends the album spiraling back into the land of dinner entertainment. La Fievre Monte is a very disappointing release from a guy who I expected more from – when an ex-Magma member releases a CD you at least expect something INTERESTING. Faton Cahen does not deliver the goods at all on this release, and unless you’ve got a real hankering for some mindless lounge music, I’d strongly recommend that you save your $15 and skip this one. Instead, take a trip to any local ritzy hotel bars, and you’ll pretty much hear the same thing for less money. - Michael Askounes (michael@gscyclone.com) PERSONNEL: Olivier Bonny: Batterie Faton Cahen: Piano Thierry Colson: Contrebasse Charly Doll: Percussions Nicolas Krassik: Violon TRACKLIST: 1. La fièvre monte (8:10) 2. Colibri (4:48) 3. Cuba si (8:30) 4. La grenouille du Gange (4:30) 5. Un métro pour Baños (5:34) 6. Les duex Jokers (4:20) 7. Valse pour Simone et Jacques (4:20) 8. Fatango (5:12) 9. La guerre des hommes (4:52) 10. Les anges d’Epinal (6:16) 11. Samedizuit (3:20)
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