The Miniature Chamber Music of Olivier Manchon

Orchestre de Chambre Miniature—Volume 1
By Olivier Manchon
ObliqSound

His credits include work with the indie bands My Brightest Diamond and Clare and the Reasons, as well as the pit orchestra for the hit Broadway alt rock musical Spring Awakening, yet his latest CD is a fusion of jazz and classical forms that would probably bring a smile to the late great Third Stream composer John Lewis. Indeed, Manchon gets a full rich sound from his string quartet augmented by several special guest soloists on Orchestre de Chambre Miniature—Volume 1, which releases today in America.

Right from the first strains of “Breakfast Queen,” the driving nature of Manchon’s string arrangements is immediately audible. It is clear the OCM will not be playing warmed over covers of “Pachelbel’s Canon.” The quartet, comprising the leader on violin, his Spring Awakening pit-mate Hiroko Taguchi on viola, Christopher Hoffman on cello, and Alan Hampton on bass, shows a remarkable facility for the darting and roiling introduction, but turn on a dime to provide a lushly supportive accompaniment for guest soloist John Ellis on tenor saxophone.

There is definitely a romantic quality to Manchon’s music, perhaps best heard on the explicitly nostalgic “Memoires,” perfectly marrying the elegance of the string quartet with the yearning sound of Gregoire Maret’s harmonica. It is a lovely track, similar in vibe to some of the Quincy Jones charts featuring Toots Thielemans, yet more classically-oriented. In a radical shift in tone, the following “Just a Second” is distinguished by its dark tonal hues and a plaintive solo from Ellis on bass clarinet that approaches Dolphyesque “out” territory.

While Manchon originals account for three quarters of the OCM program, cellist Hoffman also contributed the intriguing “The Hanged Man,” which evolves out of a minimalist prelude into a striking (and quite catchy) melody, providing a launching pad for a dramatically eloquent tenor solo from Ellis. Fittingly, it ends on a stately Continental note with a sophisticated yet playful rendition of Sibelius’s “Valse Trieste.”

Throughout OCM, Manchon varies the mood nicely, creating a richly textured musical tapestry, anchored by the tightly synchronized but still swinging ensemble work of the string quartet, which presumably we can look forward to hearing more from, since the “Volume 1” clearly implies future installments to come. Enthusiastically recommended, OCM is a hip and urbane dialogue between jazz and classical that deserves attention from both camps.

(Photo Credit: Murat Eyuboglu)

Criscuolo with Strings

Melancholia
By Matt Criscuolo

The so-called “with strings” records, featuring an instrumental soloist accompanied by a lush string section on a set of romantic standards, account for some of the most popular releases in jazz history, and some of the least regarded. Many times the results are more suitable for the kitschy bachelor pad scene. Happily, that is not the case with Melancholia, Connecticut-based alto-player Matt Criscuolo’s latest CD, very definitely recorded with strings.

Several factors elevate Melancholia above the level of cocktail hour jazz, the most crucial being Criscuolo’s strong, clear tone on alto. His choice of repertoire is also quite shrewd, eschewing Tin-Pan Alley love songs in favor of advanced hard-bop standards by Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, as well as his own originals and one from pianist Larry Willis. Willis also contributed the hip string charts, which are surprisingly lithe and insistent—no wall of schmaltzy sound here.

Melancholia begins appropriately with Criscuolo’s original “When in Rome,” a darkly romantic ballad. With the rhythm section of Willis, drummer Billy Drummond, and bassist Phil Bowler as prominent in the mix as the string section, it establishes the robust sound of the session. The quartet then takes over the second Criscuolo original, “Pensivity,” a dramatic showcase for the leader and Willis, forcefully egged on by Drummond.

Though the soaring string arrangement for Willis’s “Ethiopa” might be a bit over-written and his piano introduction might have a bit of the flavor of “Nadia’s Song,” Criscuolo’s alto cuts through it all. It becomes quite a passionate, emotionally direct performance when the strings subside. However, the string charts on both Shorter standards, “Infant Eyes” and “Miyako,” are perfectly balanced, beautifully reinforcing the mood of the elegant ballads, rather than overwhelming the soloist.

While the string arrangements are more pronounced on the Hancock standards, they never run the risk of sentimentality. In fact, they are quite vigorous on the upbeat “Tell Me a Bed Time Story,” creating a dynamic groove. While the treatment of Hancock’s lovely ballad “Chan’s Song,” originally written for the ‘Round Midnight soundtrack, is more traditional for string sessions, it probably inspires Criscuolo’s most eloquent statements of the record.

Evidently, Criscuolo is something of a renaissance man, overseeing his family’s pizzerias while simultaneously pursuing a career in music. His great sound on Melancholia certainly suggests it would be worth a trip to Wilton, CT, when he is playing at the “Jazzerias.” His full-bodied, expressive alto makes this one of the strongest string sessions recorded in recent years.