French brothers Théo (violin) and Valentin (cello, bass guitar) Ceccaldi have been rapidly rising in the European avant-garde jazz scene for several years now. They can be found here and there in a wide variety of projects. Usually, the albums on which the brothers play (together or separately) contain intense instrumental music that moves somewhere between jazz and art music, and the end result is often something indefinable. The best-known of the Ceccaldi brothers’ projects is probably the avant-prog trio In Love With, led by drummer Sylvain Darrifourcq.
Constantine continues their lack of boundaries in the sense that it is virtually impossible to pigeonhole it into any particular genre. However, the intensity has been toned down a bit, as this time the approach is, at least at times, considerably more relaxed than the brothers’ projects are on average. The music even includes a hint of pop tones among its many different influences. This time there are also vocals. In fact, they play a central role in about half of the songs on the album.
Constantine is a unique and even special project for the Ceccaldi brothers in that it involves them reworking the music of their Algerian-born composer father, Serge Ceccaldi. As I understand it, their father Ceccaldi spent most of his composing career working in theater music, and it is from this repertoire that the brothers have drawn the material for Constantine. Serge Ceccaldi moved to France from Algeria when he was just a couple of years old, but his North African roots can be heard here and there as delicious ethnic spices throughout the album.
Constantine’s exceptional personality is emphasized by the fact that, although the brothers have played together in many different projects, Constantine is the first to be credited equally under both their names.
Ceccaldi’s own instruments, the violin and cello, play a surprisingly minor role. This time, the brothers clearly did not want to shine in the leading roles, but instead gave pride of place to their unique arrangements of their father’s compositions. On the instrumental side, wind instruments, keyboards, and various percussion instruments play at least as central a role as Théon’s violin or Valentin’s cello. On the other hand, the brothers are so versatile on their instruments and capable of conjuring up such surprising sounds that it is possible I have underestimated what they actually play on the album. Valentin also plays electric bass guitar on the album, which, to my knowledge, he has not done on previous albums.
Constantine begins with the minimalist, Steve Reich-esque intro, then transforms into delightful modern ethnic art pop with thumping drums and Leila Martial’s wordless vocals, accompanied by saxophones, violins, and some strange ethnic flute.
The next track, La règle du scarabée, continues in the same vein as the first, but with considerably more intensity and a more rock-oriented feel. This track is probably the closest Constantine gets to rock music.
After the art rock of “La règle du scarabéen,” the mood changes completely. “Le retour des perdrix” is a delicate and beautiful four-minute instrumental that is actually pure chamber music for the first couple of minutes, with Théo lightly strumming his violin and Valentin accompanying him melancholically on the cello. Then, modern-sounding but restrained jazzy drums join in, accompanied by Yomi’s clarinet, which has a strong North African sound. Finally, the violin plays a melancholic melody and the song fades away gracefully. A truly magnificent combination of chamber music and jazz.
The fourth track, ”Une bonne dose de vent,” begins with Fantazio’s (yes, that’s how the guy is credited in the album booklet) singing, which leads us into the world of some kind of twisted chanson. Fantazio’s babbling is contrasted nicely with the high-pitched, wordless vocals of several female vocalists. The end features an effective prog-like crescendo.
Next, we hear music that perhaps best represents the ethnic section of the album, as Egyptian vocalist Abdullah Miniawy takes center stage in the song ”Falak Falak.” He chants and stretches his vocals enchantingly over mostly calm, ambient music, which is occasionally interrupted by sharp violin notes. The emotional charge of Miniawy’s vocals is dizzying, and together with the heartfelt music, it makes for a truly interesting combination.
”Sous les plis de l’aurore” begins with Leila Martial singing incredibly beautiful vocals. In the background, a jerky violin ostinato plays. The song grows in intensity as Martial sings more and more powerfully and passionately. A dense rhythmic fabric pounds in the background, and at the end we hear a delightfully haunting saxophone solo. ”Sous les plis de l’aurore” is a truly smooth combination of ethnic music, jazz, and rock. A truly masterful fusion from the Ceccaldi brothers.
”Sigognac” begins with Emilie Parisien’s calm, beautiful, and slightly exotic-sounding soprano saxophone. However, the song soon becomes more intense as the strings begin to play a persistent ostinato in the background. Parisien gradually increases the intensity and plays a truly intricate melody that slithers like a snake. I don’t know who Parisien is, but her performance is truly virtuosic. At the very end, the song takes a turn and the music becomes more march-like and somehow very French-sounding, and ultimately very chaotic. Everything ends abruptly, as if cut with a knife. Viva la France!
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The mood calms down in the instrumental piece ”La trace du papillon,” in which Théo plays his violin with light fingers and Valentin accompanies him on the cello, playing the bass parts. The piano and various wind instruments join in. The main melody of the piece is truly beautiful. This piece also builds successfully, almost imperceptibly, towards a more energetic ending.
At just over six minutes, “Elle” is the longest track on the album. It begins cautiously with single piano notes and continues in a minimalist, impressionistic style with occasional violin flourishes and wind instrument hums for several minutes until the bass guitar provides a rhythmic centerpiece and the piano begins to play rolling patterns. Finally, around the four-minute mark, the drums come in with a really strong beat and Théo solos wildly on his violin, the sound of which has been processed electronically. The atmosphere is threatening. “Elle” is probably the most prog-like of all the songs on the album. At least in its latter half. Of course, it leans more towards the avant-garde side of progressive rock than the symphonic middle ground.
“Et même le ciel” is a truly powerful instrumental tango featuring Michel Portal’s fiery bandoneón (a type of Argentine accordion). Portal also plays a wild solo on the bass clarinet, accompanied by Theo’s piercing violin. The drummer plays powerfully again, but also more jazzily than ever before on the album. I can’t say I know much about tango, but if tango music can sound this good, maybe it’s time to learn more about it!
The last track on the album, ”Horizon fantôme,” brings the human voice back to the forefront. Robin Mercier seems to be reciting some kind of poem. The song starts off a bit slow, but when the drums kick in and the violin starts to swirl around the other instruments, it really picks up steam. Unfortunately, ”Horizon fantôme” seems to end just when it is at its best.
Finally, it should be mentioned that Constantine is also a very high-quality release in terms of production. Its sounds are modern and rich, but also sufficiently distinct, even though the instrumentation is at times quite dense. And although the sounds have clearly been carefully adjusted, the end result does not sound sterile or lifeless. Although the Ceccaldi brothers are approaching the world of pop to some extent on this album, they have clearly retained enough of the spontaneity cultivated by their jazz background.
Generally speaking, I like strong albums where the music remains stylistically coherent throughout. The super-eclectic Constantine shouldn’t work by all accounts, but somehow, despite jumping from one genre to another, it still manages to form an enjoyable whole in which very different parts support each other.
Constantine is a unique album that proves that we can continue to expect anything from the Ceccaldi brothers.
Best tracks: ”Ampsaga”, “Sous les plis de l’aurore”, ”Sigognac”, ”Elle”, ”Et même le ciel”
Author: JANNE YLIRUUSI
Tracks
- Ampsaga
- La règle du scarabée
- Le retour des perdrix
- Une bonne dose de vent
- Falak falak
- Sous les plis de l’aurore
- Sigognac
- La trace du papillon
- Elle
- Et même le ciel
- Horizon fantôme
Group:
Valentin Ceccaldi: cello, bass guitar Théo Ceccaldi: violin Quentin Biardeau: tenor saxophone, keyboards, backing vocals Gabriel Lemaire: alto saxophone, clarinet, baritone saxophone Guillaume Aknine: guitars Roberto Negro: piano, keyboards Adrien Chennebault: drums, percussion Florian Satche: drums, percussion
Guests:
Leïla Martial: vocals (1, 6) Thomas de Pourquery: alto saxophone, vocals (2) Yom: clarinet (3) Fantazio: vocals (4) Abdullah Miniawy: vocals (5) Emile Parisien: soprano saxophone (7) Airelle Besson: trumpet (8) Michel Portal: bandoneon, bass clarinet (10) Robin Mercier: vocals (11)
Producers: Quentin Biardeau & Roberto Negro
Label: Brouhaha
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