A real kick in the anthill of jazz, “First Round” is the début EP of EDGES, the new project from Guillaume Vierset. A high-flying international team joins the Belgian guitarist on his poetic, nonchalant trip through a musical universe on the borders of jazz and prog rock.
“Edges” is where Vierset spends his time. He breaks down the borders between genres, refusing to be filed under one style. His identity has been shaped over the years through various projects: from the strong jazz vibe of the “LG Jazz Collective” to the folk accents of his “Harvest Group” (whose third album will be released next spring). The guitarist also likes to play alongside indie/pop artists such as Typh Barrow, Sharko, Halehan or Sacha Toorop (whose latest release he produced).
“Edges” was born following a carte blanche offered by the Marni Jazz Festival. The guitarist chose an international formula, pulling in the Danish bassist Anders Christensen (heard alongside Tomasz Stanko, Jakob Bro, Paul Motion and Aaron Parks), keyboard player Dorian Dumont (Echt!), who brings both depth and dimension with a subtly vintage feel, and the excellent American drummer Jim Black (Alas No Axis, Tim Berne, Ellery Eskelin and Kurt Rosenwinkel), to spice up the whole with his incisive and always original playing. A real success in concert, the band reunited two years later to record “The End of the F***ing World”. “First Round” is the first part, released as a digital 4-track EP that announces the album that will follow in the autumn of 2022.
Edgy riffs, pyscho-vintage keyboards, a guitar that veers between being airy and raw or saturated, this “First Round” draws us into the troubled waters of fusion, jazz and progressive rock. The guitarist – again – plays from the edge and offers, with a certain sagacity, a singular look at today’s world.
- Released : 19/11/2021
- Reference : IGL329
- Support : digital
- Label : Igloo
