Missing Times

Description

Missing Times is the ninth full-length release by Ghost Rhythms, a truly exciting electric / eclectic jazz ensemble active in Paris since 2005 who have won numerous awards in their home country. Cool, intelligent and self-assured, they feature morphing drum grooves, catchy bass lines, expressive harmony changes, world music touches and a never-ending succession of dizzying, odd-time polyrhythms. Ghost Rhythms' mostly instrumental concept album Missing Times explores the phenomenon in which UFO abductees lose the memory of their strange encounters. It's a slippery slope full of mythology, drummer Xavier Gelard points out, but not one without merit and depth. And beyond the sci-fi elements of that subject matter, there are universal themes. "We're trying to decolonize the UFO lore from the UFO," he explains, "in order to access the human part." The band - now a longstanding nine-piece ensemble - is based around the creative duo of Gelard and pianist Camille Petit. Together, they've deeply explored the interplay between interlocking rhythms and musical feel throughout their nearly 20-year run. Those themes - absence, perception, and time itself - have been guiding principles. In that way, then, that Missing Times, their ninth full-length release, is their ultimate statement, as displaced rhythmic structures weave amongst each other in the foreground. Ghost Rhythms seamlessly create sonic quilts of interweaving riffage and soaring melodies. Their sound straddles genres, wearing inspiration from modern avant-leaning influences like the Claudia Quintet or Bad Plus - both ensembles that feature jazz-associated musicians reaching toward rock, pop, and classical influences - as easily as it does vintage progressive rock ensembles Soft Machine or Magma, particularly in their propensity toward rhythmic experimentation and flexibility. Despite the musical sophistication and adventure ... this music is extremely accessible to a wide swathe of listeners. Guillaume Aventurin : Guitar Julien Bigorgne : Flute Alexis Collin : Accordion Nadia Mejri-Chapelle : Cello Xavier Gelard : Drums, Additional Electric Guitars, Additional Percussion Gregory Kosovski : Bass Morgan Lowenstein : Congas Camille Petit : Piano, Rhodes Maxime Thiebaut : Alto and Tenor Saxophones, Flute with Bertrand Aimar : Violins Frederic Garcia : Choir Director