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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

Press Quotes

Toulouse-based quartet making a joyful noise with a spicy cocktail of East European folk dance rhythms and contemporary jazz extemporisation.

     —Jazzwise

Old World atmospheres are produced by the Pulcinella quartet of Ferninand Doumerc/sax-fl, Florian Demonsant/acc, Jean-Marc Serpin/b and Pierre Pollet/dr. Nuevo tango grooves by the rhythm allow the accordion and sax to hover over '3/5 d'Once' while a bohemian 'La Fille De L'Ombre' makes you feel like you're strolling in the Latin Quarter. Some exciting moments lead to a dramatic rush to the finish line as Pollet rides the whip on 'Melchizedec' and the team gets kinetic for Doumerc's rich tenor on 'Les Paris Sont Ouverts.' Many rewarding moments.

     —George W. Harris, jazzweekly.com