Rozenn Le Trionnaire & Jérémy Simon/Skeud/ Coop Breizh/2024

Personnel:

Rozenn Le Trionnaire : clarinets
Jérémy Simon : chromatic accordion

Invité:

Jérôme Kerihuel:  percussion

Rozenn Le Trionnaire is a talented Breton classical clarinetist with a formidable recording and touring history.  This is her first recording venturing into the territory of her native country’s traditional music. Jérémy Simon is a remarkably talented chromatic accordionist who seems to mostly come from a background in jazz and improvisational music. Their new recording Skeud is an impressive debut with a sound unlike anything else I’ve heard.

Skeud doesn’t adhere closely to Fest Noz repertoire. Only 3 tracks work with straight-up dance melodies. Some of the other material is original, while others take their melodies from  traditional song. Whether playing a standard Bb clarinet or a larger instrument, Trionnaire  has an impeccable tone and an expressiveness and precision that is mind blowing. Simon is the perfect foil, delivering jazzy parts in a unique style and with a sensitive touch that gives him a fresh sound unlike any other Breton player that we are familiar with. The interaction between these two players is bold, dynamic, complex, and intricate. Joining the duo on a number of tracks is the rather ubiquitous percussionist Jérôme Kerihuel, seemingly in high demand as of late. On Skeud he relies solely on tabla, foregoing the drum kit that has become his norm on many other recordings. The tablas here provide a complex and exotic underpinning that suits this material very well. This recording, unlike many others in recent times, is also beautifully produced, so the listener doesn’t have to wade through a muddled soundstage resulting from amateurish  production. This is a unique and memorable recording.

-Fañch