Hand/Eye
Jessica Constable & Philippe Gelda : The Vine and Vein Collection (UK/F,2008)***
-cool things for organ and voice-
Very unusual for the label, this is more like a jazz improvisation related release, with a freedom of arrangements. It is unclear how intuitive or directed this is. The Rhodes-like piano textural core sounds much more modern music than jazz, but free, and changing its orientation more often, with an occasional post-Baroque organ improvisations, while the singer Jessica (also Philippe sings with a lead voice occasionally) includes some recognisable real life moments of emotions/lyrics, but then is lost again in the wilderness of free orientations while harmonic drones or contemporary or modern partly cut melodies shape a snake-like pathway. It is still clear that Jessica’s roots are in jazz, but her own walk on the pathway concentrates upon equally strange far-outs. A strange duo combination. This is something which needs more repeated listens.
