Bop is not dead. Proof by example with this freshly released album featuring tracks by Jimmy Heath and Sammy Fain (among others), in addition to original compositions by Mathieu Soucy and alto saxophonist Tomas Martinez. No awkward clashes between the classics and the new pieces, as Soucy and Martinez’s style fits perfectly with the vintage bop language of the 1950s. Pointed, bouncing rhythms that support agile melodies, with millimeter-precise technicality. We are here in the great school of playing of Barney Kessel, Kenny Burrell, and company, which is emulated without a second thought. With Leighton Harrell on double bass and Baptiste Lejeune on drums, one would think we had returned to the era of Rockhead’s Paradise here in Montreal, and it is not unpleasant at all.
