Simon Moullier is a relative newcomer to the global jazz scene but due to his ample facility as both a composer and vibraphone player, he’s getting quickly established. Having recorded alongside the likes of Miguel Zenon, Kendrick Scott and Mark Turner, Moullier had no records released under his name at the beginning of 2020 and now he has three. Isla is the latest, showcasing his leadership, musicianship and songwriter as the NYC resident adopts the coastal environs of his native northwestern France as his muse.
For those prior two releases, Moullier led a quintet sharing the front line with a saxophone (Spirit Song) and a trio (Countdown). This time, the restless vibes maestro chooses a format that lies somewhere in-between: Isla casts Moullier in a combo backed by a piano trio comprising of Lex Korten (piano), Alexander Claffy (bass) and Jongkuk Kim (drums). Moreover, Moullier is back to showcasing primarily his own material.
That starts with the opening track “Empress of the Sea,” displaying Moullier’s knack for devising an expressive melody that is always moving forward, using a waltz cadence smartly to further those aims. Indeed, Moullier integrating rhythms straight into the harmony puts a greater load on Kim but he’s well up to the task, as demonstrated on “Isla,” where he also catapults both Moullier’s and Korten’s solos.
Korten gets a chance to stretch out and show great acumen as a soloist on “Enchantment,” a song that flows so smoothly you might not notice the odd time signature. For “This Dream,” Moullier has Kim employ a non-jazz, almost electronica pulse and Moullier himself remarked that the song was constructed with Radiohead in mind.
Moullier turns one of the two covers of this album, “You Go to My Head,” into a bolero, a pleasing twist on the venerable standard and the vibrist does well in expanding on the melodicism inherent in this song. The other non-original, Mercer Ellington’s “Moon Mist,” is given a delicate blues-imbued treatment by him.
“Heart” wraps up this tidy set of numbers, opening with a dreamy, floating prelude that segues into a luscious progression, soon returning to its suspended state for this moody piece.
Not many knew about Simon Moullier a mere three years ago but with his third outing Isla, there’s simply no excuse not to. He’s the vibraphonist you will want to keep on your radar.
Isla will be available on February 17, 2023. Order your copy from Bandcamp.
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