Aleph Quintet – Shapes of Silence

The Aleph Quintet is first and foremost the Tunisian oudist Akram Ben Romdhane, who composes almost the entire repertoire (apart from a theme by the bassist) and whose playing on the Arab lute is singular insofar as it alternates single notes, arpeggios and chords, denoting an impressive harmonic sense.

But it’s also a tight-knit group, with no fewer than four solo voices (violin, oud, piano and bass), while the harmony is handled by the oud or piano and, of course, the double bass. What’s more, these musicians had the excellent idea of inviting Fabrizio Cassol (better known as part of the Aka Moon trio) to join them on two themes with his flamboyant alto sax.

Let’s talk about the themes: they all have a bewitching melodic flavor, whether Oriental-inspired or not, and you can sense that the five musicians’ concern to make their instruments sing is paramount. What can we say about Marvin Burlas‘ luminous violin, Wajdi Riahi‘s sensitive, delicate piano and the leader’s oud, which is unlike any other and has impressive dynamics in addition to its melodic qualities? It’s hard, then, to resist the heady charm of this magnificent Belgian-Tunisian group, which, far from being part of the world music movement, plays a sappy jazz in which the Théo Zipper/Maxime Aznar rhythmic pair provide a totally enthusiastic ternary foundation. This is a band that has managed to adapt a predominantly Arabic repertoire to a jazz treatment, respecting both idioms and achieving a totally convincing fusion, both in terms of the rhythmic pulse and the solos, all of which are first-rate.