Julien Pinol provides the services of composer, leader, and backbone on
Le Banquet, which highlights this collection of amazing musicians from the European continent. His own playing is phenomenal, but this is truly a group effort. The music is universally innovative, incorporating elements of film noir, Latin sounds, bright tenor notes, free jazz noodling, and an oozing dark core to make music that tips its hat constantly to the ghost of
John Coltrane while stirring its own big pot. The effect is one of controlled chaos, where soloists thrash about, but never seem to spin off of the gyroscopic balance of the group.
Pinol's playing is strongest on "Tortue Turquoise," where he provides the murky theme that cycles in the background behind the sweet bright horns on the surface, and "Thibaut Indigo," which is steeped in melancholy. There is a deep spiritual thread that runs throughout, attributable to
Pinol's expert songwriting, which, along with the technical mastery of the players, conspires to make this album truly special.