FemmeBattue

Maiden Voyage is in my opinion the best traditional jazz album in Herbie Hancock’s discography. It captures amazingly his songwriting abilities, his virtuosic playing and his innovations in the genre. As a record, it is perfectly balanced. Each brings something new and exciting. Starting with Maiden Voyage which is a rare instance of a standard sorely driven by a rhythm pattern. It is a vibe that I haven’t seen achieved on any other jazz tune. You then get The Eye Of The Hurricane ... read more

After Sanders’ death last week, I listened to this amazing project and appreciated how he conveys more than just music to his audience. The record is full of personality, emotion and spirit and for an ambient record, it’s pretty amazing. The flow of the album is simply perfect without being redundant. Each phase is distinct but fits the whole body. The recurrent lick is infectious and acts as a blank paper for whatever story Pharaoh or the other instrumentalists wish to convey. The ... read more

Van Halen is one of the few bands in the 80’s rock era that manage to combine successfully the rock’&’roll esthetics while showcasing amazing instrumental prowesses. Indeed, their 1984 release, 1984, is filled with amazing guitar, synth heavy 80’s pop-rock, great songwriting and so much more. Starting with the 1984 intro track, you can already feel the departure in sound from their previous project which gets more official with their major hit: Jump. Panama is likely ... read more

1959 is a major year in jazz history: Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue, Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, Charles Mingus’ Ah-Um, and much more. In these gems you can find Art Blakey’s 3rd LP and probably his best work: Moanin’. The song of the same title is a pretty widely known be-bop track, but the deeper cuts are all amazing and worth exploring. The more you dig into this record, the more the genius of Art Blakey’s drumming and songwriting comes out. For example, The Drum ... read more