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Eric Le Lann: I Remember Chet

By Jeff Dayton-Johnson
June 18, 2013
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French trumpeter

Eric Le Lann

b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Le Lann has a bit part in Bertrand Tavernier's 1986 film Round Midnight, the story of a French jazz fan's friendship with wayward American jazz musician Dale Turner, played by tenor saxophonist

Dexter Gordon

saxophone, tenor
1923 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Dexter Gordon. Le Lann plays a French jazz trumpeter—not much of a stretch. More to the point, the film's story mirrored, however approximately, an episode in his own life, in which Le Lann befriended the expatriate

Chet Baker

trumpet and vocals
1929 - 1988

" data-original-title="" title="">Chet Baker during the latter's troubled final decade.

On I Remember Chet, Le Lann pays tribute to the older trumpeter, a quarter century after his death. The record features a cross section of tunes closely associated with Baker; the sole original, Le Lann's "Backtime," fits in well enough.

Le Lann's playing would not likely be mistaken for Baker's, but the record makes clear his affinity for several key features of the late trumpeter's playing: particularly, a singing tone, a swinging sense of time and a certain tenderness. At the same time, Le Lann's playing is steely and more forthright than Baker's vulnerable sound. Le Lann favors the lower to middle portion of the trumpet's range. Most important, Le Lann is not in the least intimidated by Baker's mythic reputation, and he and his trio turn in a remarkably strong and satisfying performance.

The record's instrumentation is spare: trumpet accompanied only by

Nelson Veras

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Nelson Veras' acoustic guitar and Gildas Bocl��'s double bass. The Franco-Brazilian guitarist has an enigmatic style, never approaching a solo in a predictable way, never hewing too closely to the written melody but, at the same time, restrained and reverent. As a sideman on this project, Veras is excellent, maintaining a level of improvisational complexity that nicely complements Le Lann's directness. In fact, at times it sounds like Le Lann is encouraged by Veras' elliptical sensibility to develop solos that float a little more freely from the songs' melodic mooring.

Bassist Bocl��, meanwhile, is essentially the sole rhythm instrument (Veras is particularly minimalist when he is not soloing, and on a particularly sunny "The Touch of Your Lips," he is absent altogether). Bocl�� provides a solid beat on what is, after all, a fairly swinging session.

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Track Listing

For Minors Only; If I Should Care; The More I See You; I Am A Fool To Want You; Summertime; The Touch Of Your Lips; Milestones; Zingaro; Love For Sale; Angel Eyes; Backtime.

Personnel

Eric Le Lann

Eric Le Lann: trumpet; Nelson Veras: guitar; Gildas Bocl��: double bass.

Album information

Title: I Remember Chet | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Bee Jazz

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