Rémi Panossian trio
Morning Smile

On March 7, 1985, a French child celebrates his second birthday to the tune of “We are the World,” a famous song initiated by Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, and Lionel Richie in response to the Ethiopian famine, accompanying the music with rhythmic hand claps on the cake.

5 years later, the same child meets Michel Petrucciani and falls in love with his music, the piano, and jazz, beginning to study it incessantly, becoming a dedicated follower of the instrument.

At 15, he is deemed fit to take the diploma exam in piano and jazz music, but due to age restrictions, he must wait until he is 18 to obtain the title. In the three years preceding this recognition, he becomes a nationally renowned concert performer, both in classical and jazz circles.

This incredibly talented French artist is named Rémi Panossian (piano and Fender Rhodes), and this year, at 36, he is one of the most interesting jazz pianists between France, Germany, and Asia, where he's achieved great success in the media and with audiences.

In 2017, along with Maxime Delporte (double bass, electric bass) and Frédéric Petitprez (drums, percussion, metallophone, sampler), namely the Remi Panossian Trio (RP3), he releases, in my opinion, their most successful, colorful, and engaging album to date.

It's a complete work, tackling many aspects of modern jazz music: fusion, rhythmic combinations, sweet melodies, intricate harmonies, hip hop crossover, refined string-based backdrops all contained in 10 tracks that never tire and keep attention alive in anticipation of the next song. Surely, one cannot judge the entirety of the album just by listening to 1 of the 10 pieces that make up this colorful and varied puzzle.

We don't find just one style of piano playing. Michel Petrucciani certainly, and also Otmaro Ruiz, Brad Mehldau, Shai Maestro in his influences, but there's a lot of his own in terms of ideas, arrangements, and dynamics.

The album's title, “Morning Smiles,” is perfectly expressed by the eponymous first track, which, thanks also to the orchestration by MozArtichaut (Sophie Castellat, Ophélie Renard, Arnaud Bonnet, Juliette Barthe), often using a truly admirable pizzicato, elicits a smile and puts you in a good mood.

“Think Green,” placed as the second track, immediately showcases interpretative freshness by mixing hip hop beats, the rap of RacecaR (I-Ching, Langston Bukowski, Modill, Sax Machine, The Green Brothers in his collaborations), with a funk bass and interesting saxophone solos by the German Nicole Johänntgen.

The fusion component is very present in the tracks (“Vintage Bimbo,” “Wanna beat the Flakes,” and “Rocky Cat,” which closes the recording) featuring Nicolas Gardel (an AMAZING trumpeter) and Ferdinand Doumerc (alto and baritone saxophone).

Decidedly introspective are “Cactus Trauma” with the ethereal opera/jazz singer Ayako Takato and “La Keyaki,” thanks to the presence of flutist and singer Maia Barouh, starting off with a section reminiscent of an animistic ritual with a jazz foundation supporting the track.

The most elaborate track is “Ultraviolet.” From a rhythmic groove on the continuous bass of Panossian's left hand, first, a leaping double bass sneaks in, then a lively and clear unison between the pianistic right hand and the seemingly lazy sax of Johänntgen, which then transforms into a raucous sound to prelude Panossian's pianistic splendor, finally airy and luminous in the spotlight. The two instruments meet, separate, chase, find each other, and reach a climax with total emphasis and empathy. After a brief reprise of the intro's escapades, the trio shifts from being a classic piano, bass, and drum trio to an increasingly dark, marked, and obstinate approach until... NO SPOILER!

“Surprise Pong” allows the mind to breathe with a relaxed and electronic approach, with a lively but reconciling rhythm, while “High Tech” I personally experience as a homage to the brilliant and inspired pianism of Esbjörn Svensson, minimal but never banal, technical without the heaviness of ostentation, melodic but not predictable, with the last minute all to savor.

I consider it a phenomenal album, practically from every point of view, and I invite anyone who loves jazz or is simply curious to add this musical kaleidoscope to their playlist.