Leno

Drummer Arnaud Dolmen and pianist Leonardo Montana both bring a wealth of cultural heritages and musical experiences to the table: Dolmen was born in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. Montana was born in Bolivia, grew up in Brazil, then moved to Guadeloupe, and both of them eventually moved to Paris, where theyve independently played in numerous settings and released a few solo albums. Its no surprise, then, that their collaborative album LeNo reflects a similar abundance of influences. Whats more surprising, though, is that their duets, with a reduced setting of just piano and drums, never feel minimalistic or sparse, but instead often sound like they have the full tonal power of a larger group. Dolmen and Montana prefer a tough, fast-moving approach, both of them spurred by the others playing -- Montanas piano often feels percussive, while Dolmens drums have a melodic quality and he even adds some glockenspiel every now and then. They both dive into an ever-mutating game of exploring different rhythms, sometimes settling for a driving groove ("Les Invisibles, Pt. 2," based on Mongo Santamarias "Afro Blue") and sometimes shifting tempos and jumping from one approach to the next (the lively "Agora Sim"). Some of the tracks feature chants by the two musicians, like the opening "Les Invisibles, Pt. 1," which recalls their Creole roots. On "Romance de la Luna Tucumana," originally composed by Pedro Aznar, they reduce the pace, offering a tender piano ballad where Dolmens percussion becomes the atmospheric backing. "Zouky Monky" toys with Thelonious Monks "Evidence" through the lens of French zouk music, and the humorous, light-hearted title track is contrasted by the dramatic "Hajj" that precedes it. Throughout the record, a series of short pieces labelled "Spirale 1-4" can be heard, swirling interludes which serve as a recurring theme that connects the individual compositions. Theres a lot to discover on LeNo -- its a record that captures a complex dialogue between two musicians who will hopefully continue this conversation on future albums. ~ Christian Genzel