Solo piano sensitivity and aesthetic vision
Let us go then, you and I. Thoughts of a night walk. In a Nils Frahm frame of mind a bit?
Oh, there’s no additional ”o” in this Thélonius’ first name – and oh Garcia doesn’t play AT ALL like Thelonious Monk. And this isn’t jazz.
But bear with us. Is that even an issue? The main thing is, fellow chin strokers, there is a relevance if you wonder about such things as the keen reader of this very jazz blog.
No need for a video assistant referee
As someone who likes classical music a lot but much prefers jazz it suits me fine incidentally.
I am not shouting out, as some may well do quibbling over genre – again – ”come on, referee”. Or asking for the VAR. But just sayin’. Like.
And clearly Garcia has a jazz affinity too somewhere there in his listening and life experience DNA perhaps gained most of all when he studied in Canada.
‘It’s about the constant conversation between the world of dreams and the real world. A night walk between day and night, sleep and wakefulness’
Thélonius Garcia
Touching moments
Fessing up I was quite touched by some of this at times quietly gripping collection of miniatures especially the Chopin-esque ‘Évocation’ and ‘Planètes Soeurs’ (‘Sister Planets’ – apparently that latter piece is about a child who sits, looks up at the stars and wonders if there’s another similar planet, a sister planet somewhere in space).
- Catch up on the latest marlbank reviews
A devastatingly compelling ‘Dust of Life’
To be frank on a first listen I was blown away particularly by ‘Poussières de vie’ (‘Dust of Life’) and its impact lingers long.
As for being melodious Thélonius knows how to do that especially on the opening passages of the very beautiful ‘Incantare’ that has a hand on heart if slightly overdone vocal from Paul Bisson to it.
Not as intense as Hania Rani
Thélonius studied in France at the Conservatoire d’Aubervilliers and then moved to Montreal to study at McGill six years ago.
Ode to nature and love
Not as intense as the brilliant Hania Rani another favourite of ours but the piece ‘Je veux vivre avec toi près de la rivière’ (‘I want to live with you near the river’) with the electronics added and the raspy male spoken word delivered extremely dramatically by Quebec actor Pierre Lebeau is when it gets really interesting. Garcia has commented that the piece is an ode to nature and love and it leaps out. Great positioning in the sequence of tunes.
The little night walk at the end is definitely a case of keeping the best to last. But what impressive detours there are along the way. Reserve for a time when the evening is next spread out against the sky.
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