Fables of Shwedagon (Recorded Live on May 27th, 2017 at Festival Jazz Sous Les Pommiers, Coutances)

Album review

Admittedly Anne Paceo can’t be faulted for resting on her laurels. Each of the drummer’s new album is its own island. In 2016 with Circles, all stylistic boundaries faded away, stereotypes crumbled and creativity ran at full speed! With its songs and instrumental swerving, telluric rhythms, as well as libertarian energy, her fourth album unfolded an organic, poetic and inspired groove in collaboration with singer Leila Martial, saxophonist Emile Parisien and Tony Paeleman on the keyboards. Two years later with Fables Of Shwedagon, Anne Paceo’s roadmap is very original once again. She took off for Myanmar to combine her artistic expression with the traditional orchestra Hsaing Waing, a formation dating back to the 17th century, and whose composition hasn’t changed since! It consists of five main instruments: the pat waing (a set of 21 drums in a circle, played with the hands), the maung hsaing (36 small gongs installed both horizontally and vertically, played with drumsticks), the chauk lon pat (7 large drums played with the hands), the hne (reed instrument) and the siwa (small bell and wood block).

Recorded live during the Jazz Sous les Pommiers festival in Coutances in May 2017, Fables of Shwedagon documents this amazing encounter that led Paceo to compose some magnificent hybrid themes. Along with saxophonist Christophe Panzani, guitarist Pierre Perchaud, pianist Leonardo Montana and bassist Joan Eche-Puig, she converses with five Burmese virtuosos to create a rather unique symphony of sharing. No matter if it is jazz or traditional music, as the blending of styles is purely exhilarating. Trippy! © Clotilde Maréchal/Qobuz