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And who else could I start my hopefully numerous (happy?) reviews with if not with one of my user baptismal names?
René Thomas, sublime jazz guitarist, here as a supporting act to the brilliant Hammond organist Lou Bennet, in whose name the album is titled. But René here is as essential as the band leader.
René Thomas is, thirty-one years after his death, still an illustrious unknown in the world of jazz music listeners. Listeners, yes, because among musicians he enjoyed undisputed esteem, guided to the instrument by a legend like Django Reinhardt and praised by giants like Sonny Rollins (with whom he recorded too little), Miles Davis, Chet Baker, and Stan Getz (who gave him in his last years of life that little bit of notoriety he enjoys outside the musical world). René looked very much like Jean Paul Sartre, with very thick glasses and a precise parting of hair, but he was Belgian, and in Belgium, there's a large group of patriotic enthusiasts who look after his memory. After working in his father's business, he decided to pursue a career as a professional musician, a choice that did not give him the satisfaction he richly deserved. A brief American stint, and then all the time spent in Europe between Belgium, France, Italy, England, and Spain, plagued by serious drug problems. The concert posters in the venues (visible on the indicated site) have the triumphant and melancholic affirmation "the first jazz guitarist in the world"...but for me, it's really so, fame almost on par with that of Pat Martino, my other name, after all!
The album, dated 1963 and easily accessible on the Internet, is a true masterpiece, an inexhaustible concentrate of swing and interplay among the musicians, the two already mentioned and two other unknowns: Gilbert Rovère on bass and Charles Bellonzi on drums. But the unknowns hold surprises; indeed, this rhythm section - a bit unusual because generally, the organ, following Jimmy Smith's example, also covered the bass lines, as is still the case today - bursts with energy, solidity, and creativity under the two inspired and blessed soloists. René's timbre is warm, subtly melancholic, melodic even on faster tempos with long and rhythmically mobile lines. For a guitarist like me, it's fascinating to imagine the hand movements, for a non-musician listener, the music will suffice to transport them to a world where the dream is a reality aware of being a dream, strong and nostalgic poetry as in the two short interludes composed by our hero, titled "Indicatif", just over forty seconds of tempo changes, stunning chords, and melodies with oriental hues. Interludes that frame four covers including the Coltrane's "Moment's Notice" and three original pieces by the two leaders. Just over half an hour in total to range from bop to bossa, where René displays all his amazing musical abilities, not merely instrumental, with overwhelming solos and moments of intense emotion.
A true genius of music who chose the guitar to express his love for art and his difficulty with life. You couldn't ask for more. Thank you, René.
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