Free Download “Roppongi Blues”
Philippe Saisse has released a masterpiece titled At World’s Edge. Saisse has been around the proverbial music block between guest appearances and his solo work. He has an enviable record of accomplishments by anyone’s high standards for excellence and consistency.
Saisse has many guests walk in the studio to assist in the recording process, notably the incredidbly talented Simon Phillps (drums) and Jeff Golub (guitars) amongst other outstanding performers. That being said, Saisse can stand on his own two feet as a musician (keyboards) and in the producers chair. He is equally proficient wherever he chooses to put his hands.
At World’s Edge is 12 solid and diverse tracks with rudiments of traditional and modern jazz with occassional sprinkles and at times heavy helpings of Latin, fusion, and world music all filtered through the ultimate perception of one man and his vision.
While all the tracks have their own sound and essence each one unequivocally found favor with these ears. There was one that really caught me as being the spotlight track and my pick for the one that you would hear all over smooth jazz stations…“Monday Afternoon.” Ultimately this is anything but a smooth jazz album but this track is a close as it gets. It has an enticing rhythmic heart, which comes to be expected after the first few tracks, and musicianship that is well beyond adequate.
The reason I site this as a “masterpiece” is for several reasons. The production values are excellent, the music appealing and eclectic from start to finish, and the pushing of boundaries that is inherently risqué comes as a matter of course for Saisse and his band. This is not to say this project was a walk in the park, in fact it is quite the opposite. The difficulty of making such an exceptional album by fusing several genres while still sounding modern without casting away the tradition of jazz at all cost. This is the most important aspect of Saisse’s repertoire; he maintains his respect and love for jazz and is able to influence it to make his own mark and sound original without leaving any doubt or room for recourse.
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
April 3, 2009
