Joy Ascension

Lingua disponibile: inglese

There's no doubt about the "Joy" in Joy Ascension. Macha Gharibian is radiant and vivacious as never before in this, her third album. The Armenian pianist and singer has long been blending genres with a divine refinement, sidestepping the stodgy mass of jazz'n'world clichés. With jazz and improvisation as its backbone, wreathed around with Armenian folk music, the album takes an almost poppy approach to some melodies and draws on oriental sounds, deep and growling incantations – always uniting these disparate elements with ease and finesse. Her education in classical piano and her studies alongside Ravi Coltrane, Craig Taborn, Jason Moran and Andy Milne equipped her to create a very original, nomadic jazz that comes in both vocal and instrumental flavours. This time, with the help of an exceptional rhythm section made up of Belgian drummer Dré Pallemaerts and the Canadian Chris Jennings on the double bass, the borders of her musical world have expanded to take in groove (as in the funky Fight) and incantatory fury (Freedom Nine Dance). All the same, Bert Joris's trumpet can still add something to the magnificence of the ballad The Woman I Am Longing to Be and Artyom Minasyan's duduk can transcend the already-semi-mystical force of Sarí Siroun Yar. Add in a beautiful and well-conceived cover of Paul Simon's classic 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover punctuated by some sparks flying from Fender Rhodes – and Macha Ghabarian has created a dense and winning record that cements her standing as a charmingly unique figure on the modern jazz scene. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz