Etienne Jaumet fans may not know about his lifelong love of jazz -- at least, not until they hear
8 Regards Obliques.
Jaumet's reinterpretations of classics by
Miles Davis,
the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and other legends live up to the album's title in how they provide different perspectives on time-tested music. Even listeners who aren't jazz buffs will recognize the undulating melody of
Duke Ellington's "Caravan," which
Jaumet gives a '70s sci-fi twist with an arpeggiated synth bass (he strikes a similar mood with the futuristic noir of "Ma Revelation Mystique," the album's lone original composition). His devotion to jazz isn't just reflected in
8 Regards Obliques' cleverly chosen selections, but in his wisdom to not imitate his idols too closely. The mood and sound he strikes are more "jazzy" than what is conventionally thought of as jazz. On the album-opening version of
Miles' "Shh Peaceful," percolating electronics and a swift four-on-the-floor pulse provide a safety net for
Jaumet's saxophone -- which he studied at Paris' Conservatoire -- to roam, but not too far. While it doesn't swing, it teeters between sophistication and restlessness in a way that feels like the most genuine tribute
Jaumet could pay to the original. Similarly, he translates jazz's unpredictability into unconventional arrangements, making his sax even skronkier on his take of
Ornette Coleman's "Theme from a Symphony" and using toy flutes and twanging synths to add surprising whimsy to Philip Cohran's majestic "Unity." Throughout the album,
Jaumet pays homage to jazz's depth and playfulness. Blobby, lava lamp synths coexist with a fittingly meditative groove and some of
Jaumet's most impassioned sax on an expansive version of
John Coltrane's "Spiritual," while
Sun Ra's "Nuclear War" gets a stripped-down, irony-heavy makeover. Ultimately,
8 Regards Obliques is a heartfelt celebration of jazz's adventurous spirit, offering more proof that
Jaumet can put his own entertaining stamp on any style of music. ~ Heather Phares