Orchestre National de Jazz
The Party
Jazz Village **** RECOMMENDED
A swan song for the Orchestre National de Jazz’s Daniel Yvinec The Party is a hip and eclectic set with the input of trumpeter/producer Michael Leonhart the formidable joker in the pack.
Opening mischievously with a cheeky take on Serge Gainsbourg’s ‘Requiem pour un con’ there’s an electropop accent to the arranging, the “orchestre” more a small band in spirit. On the record it's Eve Risser, Vincent Lafont, Antonin-Tri Hoang, Rémi Dumoulin, Matthieu Metzger, Joce Mienniel, Sylvain Bardiau, Pierre Perchaud, Sylvain Daniel, and Yoann Serra with Leonhart adding trumpet and more, and Yvinec production, electronics, etc.
A very aware unit more art pop at times than institutionalised repertory jazz band but with jazz chops galore tastefully deployed. They all power up on demand or shrink back cleverly. Great early cop show feel on Leonhart’s ‘Who is Clutterbuck?’ the ONJ then squeezing themselves into the slinky art house Evansiana-via-Michael Zager of ‘Wonder Twin Powers Activate!’; or simply managing to capture the Mark Ronson-esque arrangement of ‘Vergogna in Blue’.
There’s loads packed in over 15 fairly short tracks the only dud track the cover of ‘Once in a Lifetime’ where the vocals just don’t pan out and you'll just want to listen to the Talking Heads instead. But you’ll want your name on the door, there's no velvet rope, thankfully, for this particular party, the album named in case you were wondering after the Henry Mancini music for the 1968 Blake Edwards film comedy The Party.
Released on 13 January