Montreal pianist Ariane Racicot’s second album, Danser avec la feu (Dancing with Fire), is a fine, very fine program of new material. As on her previous album (Envolée, 2022), Racicot blossoms in a format that favours rhythm, drive, groove, and momentum, surrounded by electric bass and drums, that’s it. We salute Guillaume Picard on drums, as much at home in subtlety and finesse, as in more muscular fare, and the impressive Antoine Rochefort on bass. There’s a touch of Tony Levin’s DNA about him, with a SOUND that’s oh so fleshy and bouncy, instilling a generously groovy, Latin-style sway here, a clearly prog attitude there, and metal discharge elsewhere. Occasionally, a soft caressing roundness tempers the emotions with super effectiveness. On top of all that, the piano of the Révélation jazz Radio-Canada 2022-2023, Racicot, is excitingly talkative, nervous, and energetic, with a few moments of impressionistic tenderness that demonstrate the breadth of the young Quebec artist’s technical and stylistic abilities.
Danser avec le feu comes out on 21 February, with the official launch at Lion d’Or on 26 February. Don’t miss it, there’ll be enough intensity to melt the snow!
