The pianist Jean Pouchelon, who is also an ethnomusicologist specialising in Gnawa traditions, is based in Montreal and performs in the city with his quintet. Remedium is only his second EP, after Gonari released in 2019. Two EPs in seven years, no full album, that’s not much, especially for a musician who knows what he’s doing.
Pouchelon builds a short program of four compositions, infused with hard bop (Remedia), a slightly more modern groovytude, à la Chick Corea (Résistances), Latin jazz (Paloma), and North African influences (Laafu Ya Mulana). The whole is too short, but pleasant and very well led by the five musicians.
What else is there to say but that we would take more?
Zach Mozel: Bb Clarinet
Alessio Bolusi: Tenor Saxophone
Marcelo Luiz Barbosa: Double Bass
Namori Cissé : Drums
Jean Pouchelon: Piano, Arrangements and Compositions
