French pianist Jean-René Mourot felt one night an uncontrollable drive to improvise on his piano, but since he likes his neighbors he sketched six muted nocturne as music for night and apartment. This EP, only 17-minutes long, begins at 21:36 and ends about two hour later, probably a late hour in Strasbourg, Mourot’s home town.
The classically-trained Mourot studied jazz, improvisation and composition under the guidance of American pianist Eric Watson. His musical aesthetics are versatile: he composes, enjoys free-improvisation, plays contemporary music, arranges music for orchestras and writes music for theater. «Nocturnes en sourdine» is his eight releases as a leader.
The muted piano stresses the minimalist, dreamy sound of these improvised nocturnes. The piano does not resonate so much but the elegant, lyrical melodies float inside its close wooden structure, making it sound more like a Fender Rhodes than acoustic piano. The second piece, but apparently one of the latest ones, «23h18» is the most touching one, rolling gently with its engaging melody and clever abstraction of its theme.
Eyal Hareuveni
Jean-René Mourot (p, son)
