CÉDRIC HANRIOT

TIME IS COLOR/A LUMINOUS WORLD

Morphosis Arts

Cédric Hanriot, piano/Wurlitzer/synthesizer/sound design; Bertrand Beruard, electric & double bass; Antonin Violet, drums/sound design; Tony Moreau & Braxton Cook, vocals; Matthew Devaux, additional vocals; Soweto Kinch, saxophone/rapper; JSWISS & Charles X, MCs; Arthur H. & Cyrielle Clair, French narrations. Erik Truffaz, trumpet. 

On the liner notes, Cédric Hanriot says “We are energy. Music is energy and life is magic.”

Pianist Hanriot and his core trio (bassist, Bertrand Beruard and drummer Antonin Violet) reflect this belief.  They have composed nearly all the music.  Cédric makes it clear this project is a pathway to not only his spirituality, but also to quantum physics. Somehow physics and creative spirituality join hands and dance up the creative path together, along with his other band members.

Hanriot’s piano playing is dynamic and uniquely his own style. I enjoy his phrasing and freedom. The song “A Luminous World Part2” uses a lyrical line to hold the arrangement together, repetitious and melodic, like a song hook.  It vocally repeats “pick it up” with the instrumentation in between dynamic and brightly featuring Cédric Hanriot’s mad piano playing. There is something about this production that draws me into these original compositions. I admit, it’s spiritual.

On a tune called “A Creative Mind” featuring Braxton Cook and Tony Moreau, once again the vocals and the arrangement crisscross genres, combining smooth jazz with vocal jazz and a funky production.

Track #4, “Comforting Glow” is so beautiful, this ballad takes my breath away.  Hanriot’s interpretation is emotional and plays like a jazz music box.

Track #5 interjects Hip Hop into the mix.  Rapper, Soweto Kinch spits out his spoken word, while Bertrand Beruard’s bass line pumps the music up.  The lyrics support the title “Ego Chase.”

This album is a fresh perspective on 21^st Century jazz, blended with funky arrangements, sometimes a smooth jazz perspective, other times a taste of fusion, all packaged in wonderful compositions.  Running like a gold thread through these arrangements are trails of spoken word, including poetry spoken in French, electronics splashed throughout like colorful paint, and a sense of spiritual well-being that Cédric Hanriot insists must be a part of this project.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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