rouge & blanc

Joe Rosenberg, soprano saxophone

Frédéric Blondy, piano

1. Scarlet Ivory
2. Crimson Milk
3. Imperial Cornsilk
4. Raspberry Ghost
5. Vermilion Smoke

6. Ruby Snow

Recorded in Paris on november 9th, 2011 and april 4th, 2012
Recorded and edited by Augustin Muller
mastered by Marwan Danoun at Galaxy Studio in Mol, Belgium
Graphic Design by Joe Rosenberg

Il faut un certain culot pour s'aventurer sur les terres de Frédéric Blondy avec un soprano pour seul bagage. Michel Doneda lui-même, qui revint de son propre voyage des étoiles plein les mirettes et le superlatif à la bouche, en avait rapporté un superbe album souvenir gravé au Carré Bleu de Poitiers en compagnie du contrebassiste Tetsu Saitoh. Les trois faisainet la paire, en quelque sorte... Mais dans le cas présent, c'est en solitaire que Joe Rosenberg arpente les sentiers escarpés, les champs de mines et les parois verticales qui se dressent soudain devant vous quand vous pensiez embrasser l'horizon d'un paysage à perte de vue. Ici, l’improvisation n’est pas un site praticable aux allées bien tracées ni aux perspectives régulières. Sa rigueur passe justement par ce qui semble a priori le plus aléatoire et se révèle, au bout du compte, l’élément indispensable d’une vaste machination dont on ne soupçonnait pas l’étendue. S’il pratique les échecs, ce garçon doit être un jouer redoutable ! Architecte paysagiste d’un univers plus meuble que le sable, Frédéric Blondy se définit également comme un sculpteur sur sons doublé d’un déménageur, un type qui vous prend un piano et vous le fait trembler du clavier aux roulettes, puis en désosse le cadre et le métamorphose en une mécanique vrombissante crachant autant de flammes que de copeaux d’acier. Le tout pour dire qu’on ne se hasarde pas impunément dans les méandres dessinés à main levée par le compagnon de route d’Audrey Chen, Thomas Lhen, Lê Quan Ninh ou Frédérick Galliay, membre émérite notamment d’Hubbub ou du Quartet Anemone.
Joe Rosenberg l’a bien compris, qui se garde très tôt de laisser l’animal filer ou le forêt l’engloutir. Dès les premières notes émises, le saxophoniste fiche ses traits dans la matière rythmique que son partenaire semble emprunter au gamelan balinais, laissant toutefois assez d’espace pour que l’on puisse s’y faufiler. Ces quelques balises plantées, il explore les plus proches parages, tente une percée entre deux accords, enjambe l’amorce d’une ligne et s’étend peu à peu, élargissant la brèche qu’il vient de s’ouvrir. Le jeu de Frédéric ne consiste d’ailleurs pas à condamner toutes les issues, bien au contraire. Sa palette est trop large pour qu’il recoure à de tel procédés. Ainsi, dès le deuxième titre, la pureté du soprano peut-elle se répandre en vagues successives à peine soulignées par l’écume de l’acier frôlé du bout de l’archet, d’un tige métallique ou d’un de ces objets que le pianiste invente au fil du dialogue… La glace est donc rompue, si tant est qu’elle ait déjà existé. N’oublions pas que Rosenberg, loin de débarquer d’une quelconque planète, est un improvisateur confirmé dont le quartet, en 2001, accueillait déjà Edward Perraud et Jean-Luc Guionnet avant que son Ensemble ne persiste à s’appuyer sur les tambours du batteur d’Hubbub, également fondateur du label Quark où nos duettistes signent ce « Rouge et Blanc » de toute beauté ! Les connections, quand elles aboutissent à de telles merveilles, cessent aussitôt de paraître suspectes. Car c’est bien de merveilleux dont il s’agit ici, tant dans l’interaction des deux instrumentistes , qui assument chacun leur rôle respectif de paysage ou de voyageur, que dans la limpidité des phrases, la sinuosité des tracés, le spectre des expériences tentées et l’évidence des propos tenus. Point de violence dans leur passion ! Ce stade réputé inéluctable n’est seulement jamais abordé tant le besoin est absent. Il n’est ici question que d’harmonies imprévisibles, de mélodies suggérés, de rythmes souterrains confusément présents, de clairs-obscurs sonores traversés d’éclairs maîtrisés et de cette imparable logique de la certitude avérée qui ne souffre ni preuves, ni contradiction. En rouge comme en blanc, la magie de l’instant fonctionne dès le premier échange et se poursuit comme dans un rêve jusqu’à la fin de l’enregistrement. Au point que l’on en vient à se demander pourquoi l’on a d’abord parlé d’un saxophoniste culotté d’arpenter sans boussole les terres impraticables du pianiste !

Joël Pagier - IMPROJAZZ - August 2014

È il silenzio il protagonista di Rouge et Blanc. Il silenzio inteso come cassa di risonanza per le esplorazioni dei due musicisti ma anche come momento necessario per assaporare a pieno tutte le sfumature di una musica per lo più sussurrata. Così come possiamo considerare Rouge et Blanc un disco costruito intorno all'assenza. Quella di melodie riconoscibili, di parvenza di temi, di accenni di frasi, del ritmo che si traduce in swing, delle pulsazioni che danno origine al groove, Delle armonizzazioni.

Il sax soprano di Joe Rosenberg ha il respiro della natura, freme, sussurra, scandaglia sempre in una dimensione meditativa, a tratti ascetica. Il pianoforte di Frederic Blondy è uno scrigno di suoni ottenuti sfruttando ogni componente dello strumento affrontato con modalità per niente ortodosse. Così pare di cogliere il risuonare di campane tibetane, il percuotere di un tamburo, il vibrare delle corde di un violoncello. Rouge et Blanc è un'esperienza di ascolto che va affrontata senza preconcetti, con la mente libera per poter entrare in sintonia con una visione musicale fuori dall'ordinario.

Silence is the protagonist of Rouge et Blanc.  In Rouge et Blanc, it is understood that silence is not only like a sounding board for the exploration of these two musicians, but also that silence is a necessary moment to fully savor all the nuances of a music mostly whispered.  So how can we consider Rouge et Blanc, created around an absent recording?  The familiar melodies, the impressions of themes, the hints of sentences, the rhythms that translate into swing, the pulsations from where grooves originate, and the musical harmonies.

The music of soprano saxophonist Joe Rosenberg has the breath of nature: trembles, murmurs, always searching in a meditative dimension, and at times austere.  The piano of Frederic Blondy is a treasure trove of sounds obtained by using every component of the instrument in an unorthodox manner.  So it seems to capture the ringing of Tibetan bells, the beating of drums, and the vibrations of the strings of a cello.  Rouge et Blanc is a listening experience that should be approached without preconceptions, and with an open mind to be able to tune into a musical vision outside of the ordinary.

Vincenzo Roggero - ALL ABOUT JAZZ ITALIA - August 2014

Another duet, this one with piano and sax. And again, I hear classical influences, especially in Blondy’s playing. He uses the sides, he plucks the strings, and, at times, I wonder if he prepared the piano, given some of the sounds I hear.

I put the CD on and just started listening, and before I knew I was into track 3, which led me to conclude the different tracks and titles are not important. The CD plays more like one long piece with some pauses, than as a CD with six separate tracks.

The record starts off with Blondy using the piano as a percussion instrument, with Rosenberg entering with short bursts. And as the piece develops we hear great interplay between the two musicians.

For me the section of the CD that stands out is “Vermillion” both for the great interplay but more so because of the variety musical forms being used, from classical avant-garde to Asian harmonies and spaces. Rosenberg plays very long tones while Blondy creates all kinds of percussive and string like sounds behind him.

In short a very interesting record, which will hold up over many playings. I say this after my third listen.

Bernie Koenig - CADENCE MAGAZINE - October  2014

There are plenty of fireworks to be heard on Rouge Et Blanc. The six originals are lengthy explorations that feature Rosenberg and pianist Frederic Blondy as equals, engaging in sound explorations that are full of fire even on the pieces such as "Imperial Cornsilk" that move rather slowly.

As with Resolution, Rouge Et Blanc is a set that is most highly recommended to those who love the soprano-sax. Rosenberg, who sounds closer to Steve Lacy than to John Coltrane, is in top form. Listeners who enjoy the excitement of musicians reacting to each other and making up much of the music as they go along will want this CD.

Scott Yanow - LA JAZZ SCENE - August 2014

Rosenberg cites three cultural heroes on the sleeve of his first duo album with the still-underrated French pianist Frédéric Blondy. He returns to Einstein with "one can organize to apply a discovery already made, but not to make one"; and Berra, who warned "you've got to be careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there," adding jazz forefather Louis Armstrong who said: "All music is folk music. I ain't never heard no horse sing a song." All quotes frame Rosenberg's musical journey beautifully. The essence of the music making process and resulting music itself are humane acts of communication.

The album was recorded on two dates in November 2011 and April 2012 in Paris. All six compositions refer to imaginary nuances of color. Indeed, these poetic titles reflect the atmosphere and feeling of the music, detailed with great imagination.

Rosenberg's phrasing is brief and segmented as he patiently structures fleeting pieces into a greater whole. Blondy rarely uses the piano as a conventional chordal instrument. He produces metallic-percussive sounds from the strings or from inside the piano body that charge the warm, meditative tone of Rosenberg's focused progression with tension and surprising fractured resonance. This reserved, spiritual approach is beautifully realized on "Vermilion Smoke." Rosenberg's whispering tone and the delicate, resonant touches of Blondy create a profound emotional effect. On "Raspberry Ghost" the two explore a more playful and passionate means, forming a duet between sax and piano.

Eyal Hareuvin - ALL ABOUT JAZZ - July 2014

Frédéric Blondy am Piano und Joe Rosenberg am Sopransaxofon machen auf dieser Aufnahme wahrlich keine Gefangenen. Rosenberg schlängelt, spielt und bewegt sich tänzelnd über die zertrümmerten Klangwelten, die ihm Blondy vorlegt. Anstatt dass Rosenberg dem Klavier, das ätzt, kratzt und seltsame Sounds speit, ein wenig Schönheit entgegensetzt, befeuert er diese Klangästhetik sogar noch. Als wolle er sagen: Weiter, noch abgründiger, noch dissonanter. Doch halt: Ganz so einfach sollte man es sich dann doch nicht machen.

Hin und wieder blitzen auch ein wenig Schönheit und Konsonanz durch. Und verdammt nochmal: Diese Musik kann auch erzählen und einen an der Hand nehmen und einem so manch abwegige, absurde Geschichte erzählen, die irgendwie im ersten Moment überhaupt keinen Sinn ergibt. Aber dann ist plötzlich alles verständlich. Die beiden Musiker sind aber derweil schon wieder ganz woanders, während man den Gedanken noch nachhängt. Macht aber nichts, es kann auch an anderer Stelle wieder eingestiegen werden, denn streng kausal und notwendig ist hier wenig.

Und dennoch ist alles zwingend und logisch, als ob die Tracks genau so verlaufen müssten, wie sie eben verlaufen. Ob die beiden genau wissen, wo sie hin wollen? Es darf bezweifelt werden. Und gerade deshalb ist diese Aufnahme so schön, weil sie einen vom Druck befreit, das alles in Aufbau, Struktur und Klimax verstehen und analysieren zu müssen. Mögen sich andere die Zähne daran ausbeißen. Als Hör-Tipp: Hinhören und genießen. Und nicht immer blöd nachfragen.

Frédéric Blondy on piano and Joe Rosenberg on soprano saxophone on this recording truly take no prisoners.  Rosenberg winds, plays and moves prancing through the shattered world of sound, referred to by Blondy.  Instead of opposing, the piano which etches, scratches with odd sounds spewing with a little beauty, Rosenberg fires up this sound aesthetic even more.  As if to say: Go ahead, even more abysmal, and more dissonant.  But wait we should not make it too easy.

Every now and then a little beauty and consonance flashes through.  And damn it: This music can also narrate and take you by the hand and tell so many outlandish, absurd stories that at first somehow make absolutely no sense.  But then suddenly everything is understandable.  However, the two musicians are meanwhile already somewhere else, while one still indulges ones thoughts.  But it does not matter, one can pick up at a different point, because there is little here strictly causal and necessary. 

And yet everything has its necessity and logic, as if the tracks would run exactly as they just run.  Do the two know exactly know where they want to go, it may be doubted.  And that is why this recording is so beautiful because it keeps one free from the pressure one has to understand everything in the composition, structure and climax and analyze, others may crack the hard nuts.  As a tip for listening: listen and enjoy, and don’t ever ask silly questions.

Markus Stegmayr - FREISTIL - July 2014

Der Aus Boston Stammende Sopransaxophonist Joe Rosenberg arbeitete sich an der Seite namhafter Solisten in Kalifornien durch die ganze Jazzgeschichte, bevor er 1995 nach Hongkong umzog. Nun in Bali lebend, spielt er mit Einheimischen traditionell, doch bei seinen regelmässigen Frankreichbesuchen klingt es westlicher. Philosophisch hinterlässt Asien Spuren.

Die zwei neuen CDs von Rosenberg für Quark, das Label des Schlagzeugers Perrault, sind tiefsinnige Dokumente. Er bringt die Ideen ein, aber lässt dem Input der Kollegen immer Raum. ”Resolution (firmness of mind and purpose)” macht er zum Motto der poetischen Quintett-Produktion, in welcher Free Jazz-Elemente kammermusikalisch und kontemplativ weitergeführt werden. Die ersten Tracks pendeln zwischen einem homophonen zeremoniellen Marsch, Cecil Taylor- abgeleitetem Klavier und der von nur einem Ton ausgehenden Meditation des Sopransax. In der Folge wird meistens offen improvisiert, ähnlich wie bei Paul Bley ohne tonale und konventionell rhythmische Referenzen. Eng bezogen auf die momentane Gestik und Dynamik interagiert man sehr fokussiert. Die häufige Aufteilung in Trios, Duos und Soli bringt zusätzliche Diversität. In ”Blue Jay Way” und ”Resolution”, den beiden längsten Tracks, durchläuft das thematische Material Coltranes allerlei Stadien der Transformation.

Dass auch Rosenbergs musikalische Partnerschaft mit dem Pianisten Blondy schon seit längerem besteht, ist vom ersten Ton an zu spüren. Blondy ist ein Könner der differenzierten Anwendung von Klavier-Präparationen, und Rosenberg bewahrt trotz Free Music einen starken melodischen Sinn. Es wird sehr zur (spontan gefundenen) Sache gespielt, reduziert und doch mit viel Suspense. Die CD ”Rouge et Blanc” beginnt spritzig. Zur tänzerischen Perkussion des Klaviers leiert das Sopransax mit allerlei Arpeggien. Auch in lyrischen Improvisationen mischt Blondy mit präparierten Sounds mit. Hier nähert sich das beharrliche Auskosten kleiner Ideen Steve Lacy an. ”Imperial Cornsilk” gleicht schon fast elektronischer Musik. Lebhaft kommunizierend arbeiten die zwei in ”Raspberry Ghost” pointillistisch. Um Stille und Sparsamkeits gehts in ”Vermillion Smoke”. Und zum Schluss wird freie Improvisation neckisch mit Latin-Rhythmik verschmolzen.

A native of Boston, soprano saxophonist Joe Rosenberg worked on the side of renowned soloists in California through the entire history of jazz, before he moved to Hong Kong in 1995. Now living in Bali, he plays with locals in traditional ways, but in his regular visits to France he sounds western. Philosophically leaving Asian tracks.

The two new CDs of Rosenberg for Quark, the label of the drummer Edward Perraud, are profound documents. He brings up the ideas, but always leaves room for the input of colleagues. "Resolution (firmness of mind and purpose)" he makes the motto of the quintet’s poetic production, in which free jazz elements are continued in a chamber music and contemplative way.  The first tracks oscillate between a homophonic ceremonial march, Cecil Taylor-derived piano and the meditation of only one outgoing sound of the soprano sax.  In the sequences they mostly improvise open, similar to Paul Bley, without tonal and rhythmic conventional references.  Closely related to the current gestures and dynamics the interaction is very focused.  The frequent division into trios, duos and solos brings additional diversity.  In "Blue Jay Way" and "Resolution", the two longest tracks, the thematic material of Coltrane goes through all sorts of stages of transformation.

The fact that Rosenberg's musical partnership with pianist Blondy existed for some time, can be felt from the first note.  Blondy is an undisputed master of the differentiated application of piano preparations, and Rosenberg preserves, despite Free music a strong melodic sense.  It is played  (spontaneously found) very focused, reduced, and yet with a lot of suspense.  The CD "Rouge et Blanc" begins bubbly.  To the dance like percussion of the piano, the soprano sax drones with all sorts of arpeggios.  Also lyrical improvisations mixes with Blondy’s prepared sounds.  Here the persistent savoring of small ideas is similar to Steve Lacy’s approach.  "Imperial Cornsilk" resembles almost electronic music.  In "Raspberry Ghost" the two work lively, communicating in pointillist ways.  In "Vermillion Smoke" its about stillness and frugality.  And finally free improvisation gets fused with teasing Latin rhythms.

Jurg Solothurnmann - JAZZ ‘N’ MORE - July 2014

Plutot que le mot allemande wanderer, trop attaché au romantisme, celui, anglais, de hiker (le marcheur, le randonneur) convient mieux pour Joe Rosenberg: après avoir grandi au Etats-Unis, il a vecu a Hong Kong et a Bali; il travaille avec des musiciens des tous les continents, et regulierement en france avec le batteur Edward Perraud. 

Est-ce par gout pour la synecdoque Joe Rosenberg réalise une musique qui se moque des frontiers stylistiques? Car s’il y a bien chez lui une propension a l’improvisation totale, comme sur “Rouge et Blanc”, en duo avec l’excellent Frederic Blondy au piano prepare, cette approache n’est pas exclusive sur “Resolution”.

Tandis que le duo plonge dans l’inconnu, le Joe Rosenberg Ensemble navigue entre une expression idiomatique (de l’influence manifeste d’Arvo Part jusqu’aux reprise arranges Blue Jay Way de George Harrision) et un langage se liberant de tout idiome.  L’austere coherence de Rouge et Blanc (chaque improvisation est fondee sur une idee: Imperial Cornsilk fouille le spectre des sons, Rasberry Ghost repose sur le principe de la ligne brisee, Ruby Snow oppose le frappe au souffle, etc.) ravira donc d’abord la frange “dure” des lectueurs de Jazzmag.

Materialisant l’oecumenisme prone par l’auteur du morceau qui lui donne son titre – Resolution de John Coltrane -, Resolution a toutes les chances de conquerir un plus large auditoire, grace a d’indeniables qualities: intelligence de jeu, osmose entre les musiciens, profondeur d’expression.

Ludovic Florin - JAZZ MAGAZINE - June 2014

Ganz im Jetzt
Der US-Sopransaxofonist Joe Rosenberg absorbierte die ganze Jazzevolution, bevor er nach Hongkong und Bali zog. Mit tiefsinnigem Humor lässt er aus kleinen Ideen transparente Improvisationen wachsen, die auch mal ins Tanzbein fahren. Dies geschieht in engem Interplay mit dem Franzosen Frédéric Blondy, einem Meister des präparierten Klaviers und der poetischen ­Zwi­schentöne. Mal klingt es folkloristisch, dann fast wie ­elektronische Musik – faszinierend.    

Entirely In Now
The U.S. soprano saxophonist Joe Rosenberg absorbed the whole jazz evolution, before he moved to Hong Kong and Bali. With profound humor he creates from little ideas transparent improvisations that sometimes trigger the wish to dance.  This is done in close interplay with the Frenchman Frédéric Blondy, a master of the prepared piano and poetic nuances.  At times it sounds folkloric, then almost like electronic music - fascinating.

Jürg Solothurnmann  - KULTURTIPP - Junie2014

The noted 20th century sage Yogi Berra supposedly had this to say: “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.” An observation that applies to creative music perhaps more than to many other endeavors, it appears on the cover of Rouge et Blanc, a fascinating set of freely improvised duets by Frédéric Blondy & Joe Rosenberg on piano and soprano saxophone. The pair convened in a Parisian church for a series of lengthy musical conversations, quite serious and very much at their own stately pace. Blondy is continually tinkering with the “normal” piano sound. Since there’s no indication that the instrument was prepared in any way, his effects seem to come from ingenious pedal work and inside-the-piano manipulation of strings and wood. Alongside him, Rosenberg works at expanding the soprano saxophone language. The opening track, Scarlet Ivory, features damped and buzzy piano work at the start shadowed by Rosenberg’s blurry soprano. The piece opens out into a jittery “free jazz” duet of heavy piano and soaring sax. Rosenberg takes the lead on the carefully sculpted Crimson Milk with long-held tones that Blondy sneaks up on with chiming and booming piano explosions. Imperial Cornsilk is the duo’s edgiest outburst, as they present an eerie soundscape that often sounds electronic. Rosenberg haunts the upper reaches of the soprano while Blondy somehow milks long tones from the piano. In a fine display of the call and response style of free playing, the playfully relaxed chase of Raspberry Ghost comes as a welcome contrast to the severity of Imperial Cornsilk. Blondy is back inside the piano for Vermillion Smoke, where he sounds like he’s actually playing a giant slide guitar that has some issues. Rosenberg responds with slow pacing and a somber feel emphasizing the lower registers of his sax. The piece unfolds over fifteen spacious and unhurried minutes. The finale, Ruby Snow, shows plenty of fire with an insistent Rosenberg working over riffs with an obsessive’s devotion to detail and tiny variations while Blondy crowds the keyboard and manipulates the piano pedals to get a damped yet resonant sound. It’s the most entrancing of these instant compositions, and a fitting way to conclude the proceedings. Together, Rosenberg and Blondy conjure a unique musical experience grounded in careful listening, instantaneous responses, and a mutual interest in exploring the extremes of their instruments. Well worth investigating.

Stuart Kremsky - Mr. Stu's Record Room