After a few initial sessions centered around Ornette Coleman and Steve Lacy, one of whose pieces gives the group its name, Léa Ciechelski (alto sax, flutes), Henri Peyrous (soprano and tenor sax, clarinets), Julien Ducoin (double bass), and Florentin Hay (drums, glockenspiel) recorded Prospectus I and II. The double album, released in 2020, marks the birth of this leaderless and harmony-less quartet. Their sources of inspiration include Eric Dolphy, Steve Coleman, Rob Brown, and Rob Mazurek, but the four musicians, partially based in Tours, are influenced by the entire history of jazz. The music of Prospectus is characterized by remarkable impetuosity and clarity, combined with a rough acoustic sound and a hint of simplicity. Marked by great fluctuations, their compositions rely on multiple writing devices—some are very open, while others are more formalized—but all are imbued with unique lyricism, expressiveness, sincerity, and a "refusal of all artifice" (G. de Chassy). Everything moves within this group of soloists: the adopted forms, the ever-evolving themes, the place of each instrument in the collective dialogue... Following the organic impulses of improvisation, the conversation flows, rebounds, and soars among them and through each musician, creating a moment of playful and, above all, free sharing.

Text: Raphaëlle Tchamitchian | Photo: Rémi Angéli