Maxime Sanchez trio – Standards Live at la Scala Provence

I know Maxime Sanchez mainly from the Flash Pig quartet, where he played with his brother Adrien and Florent Nisse, the bassist of the present trio.

And tackling a piano/bass/drums trio with a repertoire of standards is a daring move, given the “competition” and the copious body of work dating back to the 50s.

And Maxime dared because he has the means to do so. First and foremost, he has drawn on the work of his predecessors, from Hank Jones to Brad Mehldau, via Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans or Kenny Barron.

Drawing on this heritage, he has honed a piano playing style that is steeped in tradition, while at the same time displaying a personality all his own and an aesthetic in which his sensibility is expressed without flashiness, and with a sincerity and lyricism that easily convince us that we are dealing with a first-rate stylist.

Indeed, it’s hard not to be impressed by his luminous touch and a phrasing that expands or concentrates the tempo in unpredictable ways, constantly calling for attentive listening that goes from surprise to surprise. But if the piano – which plays Duke Ellington’s “Solitude” alone in the concert’s finale – is in the spotlight here, it is in fact the trio as a whole that delights our ears.

The support of the bass (Florent Nisse) and drums (Guilhem Flouzat) is constantly tonic and subtle, embracing the leader’s harmonic and melodic twists and turns.

The repertoire, made up of themes we’ve heard a thousand times under other fingers, is treated in such a personal way that this trio’s versions immediately rank among the most memorable interpretations.

Although it’s made up of young musicians, this trio can be described as “classical”, as it doesn’t aspire to formulas that (for example) seek to extend the vein of the Swedish EST trio, whose aesthetic has seduced many contemporary pianists.

Maxime Sanchez is thus part of a timeless “historical” lineage that cares little for fashions.

It’s good that French and European musicians are showing that they can stand alongside – not behind – the great names of jazz piano and trio.

It’s unlikely that lovers of fine piano will remain insensitive to Maxime Sanchez‘s trio, and not try to introduce their friends and family to such a fine achievement as this aptly named and magnificently performed “Standards“.