MEHR by Bertrand Gauguet / Didier Lasserre

MEHR
Bertrand Gauguet : alto saxophone
Didier Lasserre : percussion

Total Time : 33:47

Recorded by Richard Comte, 2023 oct. 16 at BAFF Studio, Montreuil
Mixed and mastered by Richard Comte

Work for the cover by Katrin Bremermann
Graphic design by Atelier Ter Bekke & Behage

Produced by Akousis Records & Nunc Records

Akousis Records 006, 2024


>>> selected reviews <<<

Didier Lasserre e Bertrand Gauguet confermano la propria vocazione sperimentale con un disco che si carica di significati profondi anche oltre la musica stessa: nelle sue complesse e inattese pieghe c’è anche tutta la sua forza, per quanto non sempre afferrabile. (Piergiuseppe Lippolis, musicmap)

Improvisation is often described as a dialogue, but with "MEHR", Bertrand Gauguet and Didier Lasserre have elevated the form to an almost telepathic communion. Across its four tracks, this album doesn’t merely showcase two seasoned improvisers; it crafts a world where sound and silence dance, collide, and ultimately reconcile in breathtaking ways. (…).
That’s "MEHR": not just music, but a philosophy of sound that insists on the beauty of the incidental and the profoundness of the barely audible. It’s as if Gauguet and Lasserre have taken the idea of silence and given it a body, an instrument, and a voice. (…).
The album’s sound owes much to Richard Comte, who recorded, mixed, and mastered these improvisations with an ear for detail that feels almost voyeuristic. Meanwhile, the cover art by Katrin Bremermann - a minimalist abstraction - acts as a visual echo of the music’s ethos: simplicity that conceals complexity. (Vito Camarretta, chaindlk)

Di saxofoni e percussioni la sappiamo lunga poiché lunga è la storia dei loro duetti nella musica nuova e, in particolare, nel nuovo jazz. è pertanto con prospettiva lungimirante che ascoltiamo con piacere questo nuovo album che fugge, con buon gusto, dall’ovvio, dal risaputo, dal banale. Infatti qui l’astuto Bertrand esplora anfratti e risonanze col suo sax, superando brillantemente ogni tediosa tentazione jazzistica. Cosi come Didier, percussionista colto, ascolta il silenzio e il suo zoppo tempo osservandone, curioso i perimetri geometrici mentre si rivelano. GRANDE ALBUM.
(Massimo Marchini, Rockerilla Nov24)

As the cover artwork by German visual artist Katrin Bremermann suggests, the focus of this album is on the less, or reductionist form of music that is rooted in listening to silence. Gauguet’s quiet, sustained breaths of the alto sax are gently embraced by Lasserre’s resonant metal surfaces, friction and uncertain rhythmic patterns, as Gauguet’s subtle wind sounds create stimulating friction with Lasserre’s percussive devices.
(…)
Mehr lasts only 34 minutes, but its almost silent, enigmatic and contemplative music speaks volumes and demands the listener to rethink again about the elasticity of time. It was beautifully recorded, mixed and mastered by fellow French guitarist-producer Richard Comte (known for his long-time work with double bass master Simon H. Fell), who runs the NUNC records. (Eyal Hareuveni, https://www.percorsimusicali.eu/ )

As such it often sounds quite electronic, and not so far removed from some AMM, Anima Sound or Musica Electronica Viva, with that distinctly arty contemporary feel to it.
 (Audion 81)

Based in Paris (FR), Akousis Records is a label dedicated to the new improvised and experimental music. It is also a collaboration with graphic designers Ter Bekke & Behage studio based in Paris and different contemporary artists whose work and abstract drawings are preferred. Each drawing is thought like an echo or a visual reflect of the music.