Pulcinella is traditional and avant-garde, wild and domesticated, precise and extravagant: a union of opposites.

Pulcinella is a character from the Italian commedia dell'arte, an oafish servant who, apparently coarse and brutish, often has some trick up his sleeve. To play comedy: the members of this aptly-named quartet from Toulouse understand one another wonderfully, staging their compositions as sketches by turns farcical, fantastic, or moving, with enigmatic, elliptical or suggestive titles which enable each listener to imagine their own mini-story. The rhythm of the piece might well hectic, but one senses that its inspiration derives as much from the prolixity of Pulcinella as from the melancholy of a Pierrot lunaire. Such is the music of Pulcinella: traditional and avant-garde, wild and domesticated, precise and extravagant, it achieves a kind of union of opposites, and that is doubtless what makes it seem so vivacious.
Formed in 2004 in Toulouse, Pulcinella has given almost 500 concerts. The quartet, first and foremost a live group, has played much in France, particularly in renowned festivals. While active on the local scene they have also visited twenty or so countries, playing the main square in Dushanbe (Tajikistan), travelling round Ukraine in two epic tours, participating in prestigious festivals (London Jazz Festival, Jazzwerkstatt in Bern, Varna Jazz Festival in Bulgaria, Saint-Louis Jazz Festival in Senegal), celebrating 1000 years of the city of Hanoi and playing and recording several times in Hungary (since 2008).
As well as its work with other musicians (Emile Parisien, Leila Martial, Andreas Schaerer, Troyka, Patrick Vaillant, Daniel Casimir etc.), the group is enthusiastic about encounters with the other arts. Thus it has produced music for stage works, for cinema concerts, it has collaborated with dancers, provided a backdrop for text readings, accompanied circus performances etc.

Track Listing

• TPDC
• Elle aimait l'été (She liked summer )
• Melchizedec
• 3/4 d'once (Three quarters of an ounce)
• Devant ta porte (Outside your door)
• Les paris sont ouverts (All bets are off)
• Mélatonine (Melatonin)
• La fille de l'ombre (Shadow girl)

Additional Details

Label: BMC Records

Genre: Jazz

Language: English

Run Time: 48:52 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 09/08/17

UPC: 5998309302480