David Neerman is adventurous to say the least. This nomadic vibraphonist, composer and arranger can be heard on his own albums, those under the Kouyaté-Neerman name (his duo with Malian balafonist Lansiné Kouyaté) as well as on collaborative work with Youn Sun Nah, Serun Kuti and many others. Noir Lac (named after the Cistercian abbey in Cher, a department in central France, where this project was first conceived a few years ago) is his final musical venture, and it’s a memorable one. The album sees Neerman, singer Krystel Warren, Lansiné Kouyaté and the Sequenza 9.3 vocal ensemble join forces. From the very beginning of the album (which is best played loud or with headphones), the listener is transported to a Dead Can Dance-sounding paradise. The ambiguous vocals are incredibly poetic and moving, not unlike the final song one hears before birds set off on a mass migration. Krystle Warren’s androgenous voice is surprisingly soulful and resembles that of Jimmy Scott with its angelic superiority. The vibraphone and the balafon are a guiding force that keep the music in balance. Transparent layers of music crash against each other and resonate profoundly. The closing track Christmas or Apocalypse is almost prophetic of current times and the Christmas that is soon to come. On Friends, we are met with a magical ecumenism between American gospel and Gregorian singing. You would do well to layer up on jumpers and turn up the heating at home for hairs will stand on end and spines will shiver listening to such music. Neither Jazz nor classic nor world, but a simple, sacred celebration of beauty. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz